Letitia Wright said she's still recovering from multiple injuries sustained during a traumatic on-set motorcycle accident while filming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever last year.
While speaking to Variety about the accident, in which she suffered a concussion and fractured shoulder among other injuries, Wright said she's still receiving therapy as she tries to fully recover from the ordeal. "I'm still processing it," she said. "I'm still working through it in therapy. It was really traumatic."
The accident Wright was involved in took place on the Wakanda Forever set in Boston in August 2021. The Guyanese-British actor shot a chase sequence that put her in a biscuit rig, allowing the camera to film her riding the motorcycle within real-life surroundings. However, while in the rig, it clipped a median, causing the bike to shear off and tumble over with Wright on it. Neither the movie's director Ryan Coogler nor executive producer Nate Moore was present that day as she filmed with the movie's second unit crew.
Coogler was told about Wright's accident and subsequent hospital visit during a phone call, leading to him and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige to travel and visit her at a Boston medical facility. Feige alluded to the concern everyone involved in the film had about the accident during production, citing the emotional strain they were already dealing with following the passing of Black Panther lead actor Chadwick Boseman from colon cancer in August 2020. Wright also stated in the Variety interview that she refused to let her injuries prevent her from finishing the film, saying she told Coogler and Feige as much during their hospital visit. "I just remember wanting to finish my film, man," she said.
Letitia Wright Has Struggled Since Her Black Panther Accident
Wakanda Forever's producers shut down filming in November 2021 to allow Wright more time to heal before restarting in January 2022. Wright returned to shoot the movie in January from London where she received treatment but said she battled post-concussion syndrome while on set. When filming concluded, Wright said she was extremely proud of the resilience she and the team showed throughout production, crying as filming was completed.
Wright, whose acting credits also include Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame and Death on the Nile, stars in the Black Panther sequel as Shuri, the younger sister of T'Challa/Black Panther. After Marvel decided not to recast Boseman's role as T'Challa for the sequel following his passing, it's long been rumored that Wright will take up the mantle as the film franchise's titular character, though she has consistently distanced herself from the speculation.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever premiered on Oct. 26 in Hollywood with Wright sporting a Chadwick Boseman-inspired outfit on the red carpet. The movie premieres in theaters across North America on Nov. 11.
Source: Variety