Marvel Comics first introduced its audiences toBlack Pantherin Fantastic Four Vol.
So, I was aware of it.
Kevin, why did you want Chadwick Boseman for Black Panther?
And almost instantly, we all said Chadwick.
BOSEMAN: We were in Zurich.
The crazy thing is that I didnt even have international calling on my phone, until that morning.
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Somebody said, Hey, get international on your phone and call your mom.
And then, that night, he called.
How did you balance that?
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RYAN COOGLER: I grew up loving comic books and pop culture.
I loved toys, actions figures, video games, and all of that stuff.
I think the best versions of those stories do both things.
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You think of Marvel like this big, huge studio.
Its the biggest studio in the world right now, but its really just Kevin and his two friends.
Thats really all it is.
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Theyre all very different from each other, and Kevin is at the head of that.
And he was like, Great!
I didnt expect that.
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But as I got to know these guys, especially specifically Kevin, thats what hes all about.
He was very encouraging.
FEIGE: For the most part, Ryan wrote this a year and a half to two years ago.
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Ryan, what comic books did you pull from to develop your version of these characters?
COOGLER: We actually pulled from all of them.
We grabbed from all of them.
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The characters got a long history, and its such rich stuff to mine.
You dont actually get sat down and hear that jot down of a vision.
And it embodied us being women on the continent, but very developed and very complex.
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I was like, I just want to watch this.
I get to be in it?!
I was the first one to get my head shaved.
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In theory, it sounded amazing.
And then, the day came and I was like, Thats today?!
I had a fro, and then it happened.
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Id go into the restroom to wash my hands, look up and go, What the?!
It took a few days, and then all the girls started coming in.
We were all balded, one by one, and then the pride started to grow.
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It was about embracing the symbol of power in these women and the beauty of that moment.
I loved that moment where she doesnt want a wig.
She doesnt want to cover up.
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This is her joy and her pride, walking in with that bald head and that tattoo on it.
Its so subversive, in the right way.
You dont have to have hair to be beautiful.
I just feel really blessed and excited about it.
Is Shuri smarter than Black Panther?
LETITIA WRIGHT: What I love about it is that the men are always behind the women.
No one is undermined by the men being like, You shouldnt be in technology.
You shouldnt be in math.
Theyre like, No, go ahead.
TChalla is like, Go ahead, sis.
This is your department.
This is your domain.
Im gonna work with you to finalize it.
Thats the mentality of the king, and thats brilliant.
Everybodys got their own lane.
Shes cooler than him, but not smarter than him.
You want your sons and daughters to be better than you were.
That concept is a Wakandan concept.
My older siblings raised me.
You see the genius that is inside the people that come after you.
That is an African concept.
Letitia, what was your favorite weapon or gadget of Shuris?
Theyre her kitty-cat paws, and she can do some damage.
Chadwick, why was it so important to you that Black Panther speak in an African accent?
BOSEMAN: As an actor, when youre trained, youre very often trained from a European perspective.
What is considered great or classical is very often British, and its certain writers.
You have to tell the stories that allow you to be true to yourself, as an artist.
So, I became adamant about the fact that that is not true.
We have to take this opportunity to show that.
He doesnt have to go to Cambridge or Yale, or any place.
He had to speak with an African accent.
What do you hope little girls walk away with, after seeing this film?
Were unique and we all have our own sense of power and agency.
Theres a competitive spirit, and this film freezes all that.
I think thats extremely important.
In this film, there are so many of us.
We really get a sense of the fabric of Wakanda, as a nation.
COOGLER: This film has involvement from brilliant women, all over it, from start to finish.
Kevins right hand is Louis DEsposito, but his left hand is Victoria Alonso, who is amazing.
She was there, from day one.
We just hired the best person for the job.
The women werent hired because they were women.
They were hired because they were the best for the job.
In post-production, the film was edited by Michael Shawver and Debbie Berman, who is from South Africa.
And throughout the process, Victoria raised her hand.
Half the population is women, and it was there, constantly and in full effect.
Black Pantheropens in theaters on February 16th.
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