Editor's note: The following article contains spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is currently dominating the worldwide box office, with audiences showing up for Ryan Coogler's sequel to the era-defining Black Panther (2018) to see the future of Wakanda without its king, T'Challa - and to pay tribute to the man who played him, Chadwick Boseman.
The success of the film is down in no small part to some powerhouse performances from the leading performers. Letitia Wright, Danai Gurira and Lupita Nyong'o step up to the mark to fill the chasm left by the immense star that Boseman was. But to many, the true standout of the movie is the performance of Angela Bassett, playing Queen Ramonda, the Queen of Wakanda in her son's absence, both a fierce leader and a grieving parent.
Bassett's performance has been so impressive that she is fully in contention among the discussions for awards season. However, her turn was - against her wishes - cut short by Coogler, following Ramonda's drowning, saving Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) after the complex villain Namor (Tenoch Huerta Mejía) attacks Wakanda. And it's fair to say, she wasn't thrilled.
“I objected. Yeah, I was like, ‘Ryan, what are you doing? Why? You will rue the day! You will rue the demise of [Ramonda]. People are gonna be so upset," she said to Indiewire. However, Coogler, one of the coolest characters in filmmaking, was quick to reassure one of his leading ladies that goodbye is never really goodbye. “‘He was like, ‘Angela, I know, I know, but look, to die is not really to die in this world. It doesn’t really have to mean that.’” She felt more comfortable accepting Coogler's choice upon reflecting back to the fate of characters from Avengers: Endgame, noting that it wasn't an impossibility that we would see Queen Ramonda again. After all, Michael B. Jordan's Killmonger perished in Black Panther and sure enough, there he was in the sequel. “All kinds of crazy things happen," she said.
It is clear that Bassett is extremely grateful for Coogler's presence as a guiding light on the film, traumatic and cathartic as it was for all involved in the wake of Boseman's death, noting that his professionalism and his collaborative spirit held everyone steady and ensured they knew exactly what was demanded of them. “He’s extremely clear on the story and what he’s doing, but the way he carries himself around the cast and the crew. It’s so collaborative. He’s so self-effacing,” she said. “That impostor syndrome that we’re feeling or whatever, he will just say it out loud. ‘I don’t know about these words. Are you OK with them?’ And he really invites you to have your say, be a part, which is wonderful. He doesn’t straightjacket you.”
To see Bassett's outstanding performance, head to your local theater now to see Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Check out the trailer below.