Lupita Nyong’o didn’t want Chadwick Boseman recast in ‘Black Panther’ sequel either.
“I would have recast it with Chadwick Boseman or any African-American actor of his caliber or his age who’s still performing, because I think that is the best representation of the character when it comes to race and politics, and I think it’s the only way that a person of color can present themselves in the current political climate we’re living in,” Nyong’o told USA TODAY this weekend while promoting “Black Panther.”
Nyong’o, who is African American, told the New York Times that she believes it’s “really difficult to take a role and play a white person” in “Black Panther.”
“I think it needs to be a person of color that is the equal in that role,” she said of the upcoming film. “That’s the only way that they can express themselves. So I would definitely recast it with Chad.”
She continued: “I would be very happy if he came back. I would be thrilled and really happy.”
Boseman has said he could not bring “Black Panther” back, explaining: “Because that character is about his African-ness, and his race as well. And that is part of who he is as a person. It’s part of his journey that we all have. I was a slave; I came to America, I became a U.S. citizen; I was an activist. And I wanted to be a part of this story.”
Nyong’o’s “Black Panther” has gone on to become one of the year’s highest-grossing films. The film became the first of Marvel’s MCU to be a top 10 box office winner on its opening weekend on April 15th and in its first five days of release.
Meanwhile, Boseman, who has starred in Marvel’s “Black Panther” as T’Challa many times, told USA TODAY: “I think what she’s saying is, we have a lot of African Americans who have served in our military, in our government, who have fought for civil rights, who have fought for equality, who have fought for freedom. We also have a lot of white Americans who have served in our military, who have fought for freedom, and I think what she’s saying is, there comes a point when you’re no