If witnessing their fighting prowess and determination in Black Panther wasn’t enough to warn you not to mess with Lupita Nyong’o, Letitia Wright and Danai Gurira, then it’s safe to say you might think twice when it comes to playing a game with them.
The competitive trio, who star in the forthcoming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, recently sat down with ELLE UK to play a game of 'Knowing Me, Knowing You' about their co-stars, and were a force to be reckoned with.
‘I would’ve guessed it, I get the point,’ joked Nyong’o at one point, after Gurira accidentally let slip that she almost became roommates with This Is Us actor Sterling K. Brown before her castmates guessed the correct answers. ‘She didn’t even give us a chance!’ Wright exclaimed, before the group burst into laughter.
During the game, Nyong’o correctly guessed that actor Angela Bassett declined an offer to make a song with James Brown. ‘That’s one for me,’ she gleefully added on hearing she’d got the right answer.
However, when it came to choosing who brushes their teeth for 15 minutes a day (yes, really), while Wright and Gurira believed the answer was Winston Duke, Nyong’o had doubts. ‘I have trouble believing that, that’s a lot… he’s going to lose his teeth,’ she noted, before being left gobsmacked to learn about the actor’s in-depth oral hygiene.
Elsewhere, former ELLE UK cover star Wright knew that British actor Martin Freeman almost chose a professional career in squash, and Gurira was convinced that it’s Nyong’o whose wardrobe staple is a wide brim hat.
The group might not have known that actor Tenoch Huerta’s nickname is ‘Too Much’, but Nyong’o and Gurira shed light on their co-star Wright’s adorable moniker. ‘She’s Baby Underbite… MC Baby Underbite,’ Nyong’o said, pointing to her co-star.
Later in the game the trio proceeded to fondly remember their co-star Dorothy Steel, who began her acting career at the age of 88 before passing away last year. ‘She was one of the funniest people I’ve ever met,’ recalled Gurira, with Nyongo’o adding: ‘The last thing I remember was when I sat on M’Baku’s throne and she goes “You’re a bad woman!” and I loved it.’
ELLE UK’s November 2022 cover stars Nyong’o, Wright and Gurira have reunited for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the sequel to Black Panther. The hotly-anticipated film sees Queen Ramonda (Bassett), Shuri (Wright) M'Baku (Duke), Okoye (Gurira) and the Dora Milaje, fight to protect their nation, Wakanda, from danger following King T'Challa's (Chadwick Boseman) death.
Speaking of their characters, Nyong’o told ELLE UK that she’s excited for fans to see the complexity of Black womanhood in the upcoming film. ‘We get to see them be fully human,’ she said. ‘That’s something that, as Black women, we are often not afforded on-screen. And there are so many female characters. All too often in these movies, there’s a token one or two. Here, you’re seeing a community.’
Wright agreed, adding: ‘A beautiful moment was the three of us being able to do a scene together.
‘I think that’s the first time that’s happened in the course of the franchise. It was a delicate scene, but there was so much beauty in it and so much laughter. We held each other up in ways that we didn’t get to do before. And to go through and just see Danai and Lupita in front of me, just working through their craft. Like, damn, I’m in a scene with Danai and Lupita. That’s sick. That’s really dope.’
Watch the Black Panther cast mates play Knowing Me Knowing You in the video at the top of this article.
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
