LUPITA NYONG’O (39)

The Kenyan-Mexican actress, who plays Nakia, a Wakandan spy and T’Challa’s lover, says she knew Chadwick had been sick, but was unaware he was terminally ill. She learnt about his passing from Viola Davis, Chadwick’s co-star in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, who texted her the news.

“I couldn’t believe it,” she recalls. “I was paralysed. Returning to Wakanda was a unique experience, especially without our leader. I found myself having to accept that this was going to be different, and that showing up with as much openness as possible was key.”

While the film does deal with grief, it’s also a story of joy that celebrates the rich world of Wakanda, she says.

“The undervaluing of women doesn’t exist in Wakanda. This new film continues with the conceit that this is a world where those things don’t exist. But the question we’re tackling isn’t their womanhood. It’s their beliefs, passions, loves and arguments and it creates a robust drama. Hopefully, the world as we know it watches and is empowered by it despite itself. What I love about the Wakanda story is that it offers us a version of a world we’re striving to get to.” S Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is released in SA cinemas on 11 November.