“Black Panther” star Letitia Wright said her faith in God, born out of a Bible study she decided to attend in 2015, helped her escape a “very dark place” in life.
While she’d had a handful of smaller roles on TV shows like “Doctor Who” and movies like “The Commuter” and “Ready Player One,” it was those gigs that ultimately gave her the opportunity for a major role — a spot on Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther.”
The Guyana-born actor told The Hollywood Reporter during a recent interview she was confident she would land the role of Shuri on “Black Panther.”
“I’ve got this role, God has told me,” Wright told Femi Oguns, founder of the London Identity School of Acting, where she enrolled at the age of 16.
The 25-year-old star went on to explain she is now confident God — who led her out of a serious bout of depression — guides her to and away from the roles she now accepts, or declines.
“I pride myself on keeping it the same as when I came into acting, to not just change the lane and take everything, just because it may have a big name or a big budget,” Wright said. “Am I right for this part? Is this what I should be playing? If something feels off in my spirit, I know that’s God’s way of saying, ‘You shouldn’t do that.’”
This is not the first time Wright has talked about her faith.
I love love love @letitiawright's spirit . This interview is a reminder to me how the world can't stop you when you put God first!! I pray we all are careful to not make idols out of our gifts and remember who gave us those gifts. pic.twitter.com/Okec24LlNC
— JAMES GARDIN 🌻🌞👑(I write groovy songs for TV) (@JamesGardin) February 15, 2018
In February, she revealed she once took a brief hiatus from acting because she “idolized it.”
“So I came off from it and I went on a journey to discover my relationship with God, and I became a Christian,” she recalled at the time. “It really just gave me so much love and light within myself. I felt secure, like I didn’t need validation from anyone else, or from getting a part.”
As a result of her newfound faith, Wright said her happiness was no longer dependent on her situation or her circumstances. Now, her happiness and joy are “dependent on my relationship with God.”