President Ali invites Black Panther star, Letitia Wright to visit homeland
Guyanese born Letitia Wright continues to ride the wave of success in Marvel cinematic universes Black Panther series that is once again heating up the movie screen, this time, with โWakanda Forever.โ
Wright rose to fame after her performance in the Black Panther movie in 2018 as โShuriโ, the on-screen sister of โTchallaโ the character played by now deceased Chadwick Boseman.
Wrightโs phenomenal success has caught the attention of the world, especially her Guyanese brothers and sisters, and even the President of the Republic, Irfaan Ali, who has extended an invitation to the 29-year-old, break-out star who migrated from Guyana with her parents at age 7.
In wishing the actress best wishes on her outstanding achievement, the head-of-state in a letter dated Nov. 15, stated, โI write to congratulate you on your resounding success. I am moved by an interview which you did and in which you mentioned the country of your birth and how much you wanted to make the people of Guyana proud. I thank you for the recognition which you brought our country and the immense feelings of pride which your superb onscreen performances have evoked.โ
โI would like to extend an invitation to you to visit Guyana. The government of Guyana would be honored to host you,โ he said, adding โThe people of Guyana will be more than delighted to welcome you warmly to your beloved Motherland. I trust that your schedule and plans will permit such a visit at the earliest opportunity.โ
โMay you continue to make our county proud,โ President Ali wrote, as he expressed best wishes for her continued success.
The actress, in an interview with a correspondent of Ebony Magazine online was asked, how Guyanese had received her as this great actress. To which she replied, โLong before me, we had the amazing TV show in the UK called Desmond, (character name) a Guyanese man, and his wife, who owned a Barber shop in Peckham, London.โ
โThis is an urban type of area where a lot of black communities gather. It was a hit show. I grew up watching โDesmond,โโ said Wright, who referred to the late great Guyanese-born Norman Beaton whose situation comedy โDesmond,โ aired from 1989-1994. She went on to say that Beaton represented Guyana very well. โHe made us proud and since then I havenโt seen anyone from Guyana do it like that.โShe was very humble speaking about her success, saying, โIโve always been acting in the UK and the Guyanese people never said oh youโre โreppingโ Guyana. There were just one or two tweets about my career. It was not like, hey youโre doing Guyana proud, but this time, itโs like everybodyโs talking, which is cool.โ
โI have lots of cousins in Guyana you know, who are proud and thatโs great, but this (Black Panther) has really made people proud and Iโm grateful for that it,โ she said with a chuckle. โIt is kind of overwhelming, you donโt want anybody to put so much pressure on you, because, if I make a mistake, theyโll say your making Guyanese look bad. I just want to be able to be a human being and grow, said Wright, who has been on several press junkets around the world, to promote โWakanda Forever.โ
She has starred in โSing 2,โ โDeath on the Nile,โ โThe Silent Twins,โ โReady Play One,โ โAisha,โ โAvengers End Game,โ โMangrove,โ โUrban Hymn,โ โGuava Island,โ and many others.
Without putting out spoilers, this reporter had the great opportunity of viewing the emotional, yet exciting flick, and would like to commend Wright on her extraordinary performance in the movie that has a few wonderful surprises. It is magnificent and entertaining. The cinematography, costumes, scenery, storyline, and stellar cast, all make โWakanda Foreverโ a must-see film.