Quantcast
RELATED

From her hilarious sitcom Chewing Gum to covering more serious matters with her drama, I May Destroy You, Michaela Coel’s versatility is something to marvel at. With an already impressive career in entertainment, the talented Brit has another opportunity to be proud of, her role in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The Marvel film was the first time we saw Afrofuturism on screen in that way, and the highly-anticipated sequel is expected to be just as good. The BAFTA award winner dished on her new role in Vogue’s cover story.


Michaela plays Aneka, a queer combat instructor. “That sold me on the role, the fact that my character’s queer,” she said. “I thought: I like that, I want to show that to Ghana.” The writer and producer was born and raised in London, UK, but her family is from Ghana.

The actress shot her cover story in Accra, Ghana which showed her sporting fashionable looks while skating through the streets, striking poses in the middle of the city, and even sharing the spotlight with her father and grandmother.

Ghana, like many African countries, has anti-gay laws and so it was important for the actress to take on this role. “People say, ‘Oh, it’s fine, it’s just politics.’ But I don’t think it is just politics when it affects how people get to live their daily lives,” she said. “That’s why it felt important for me to step in and do that role because I know just by my being Ghanaian, Ghanaians will come.”

While Michaela’s role is a combat instructor, she began taking up mixed martial arts in real life thanks to her co-star UFC fighter Kamaru Usman who has a cameo in the film. “I was going through a rough time, and Usman said, ‘You need to go fighting,’” she explained. “It’s like physical chess.”

As the first Black woman to win the Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special, acting in Black Panther is a full-circle moment. She auditioned for the first Black Panther while she was still a student and even attended the London premiere.

Now, she gets to be a part of the family and something bigger than herself. “I think for a lot of people it was the first time we’d seen some sort of representation on a very mainstream platform about the magic of Africa, the magic of the people, our ancestors,” she said. “Coming here, you do feel something magical.”

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever premieres November 11.

Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for daily love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.

Featured image by Karwai Tang/WireImage

 

RELATED

 
ALSO ON XONECOLE
Claudia Jordan, Demetria McKinney & Jill Marie Jones On 'Games Women Play' & Dating Over 40

What do you get when you mix unfiltered truths, high-stakes romance, and a few well-timed one-liners? You get Games Women Play—the sizzling new stage play by Je’Caryous Johnson that’s part relationship rollercoaster, part grown-woman group chat.

KEEP READINGShow less
Candid waist up portrait of happy black woman as young bride embracing bridesmaids during wedding ceremony

I don’t know what it is about me when it comes to television (or web) series. Usually, I won’t watch them when they’re airing in “real time;” it’ll be a couple of years later, and then I’ll binge-watch and become a fan. Such was the case withChef Julian (the real ones know). And while watching it, someone who I found to be so pretty was the main character’s forever-on-again-off-again girlfriend Mo’. Real name? Javicia Leslie. If you’re not familiar with her, on one of the episodes, Julian jokes about her resembling Tatiana Ali — and he would be correct.

Anyway, it’s always cool to see people rise in their craft. A couple of years ago, Javicia made history as the first Black woman to play one of the characters of the DC Universe (Batwoman, to be exact). And why is she relevant to this particular article? It’s basically because, a couple of years before that, she had the lead in a cute film entitledAlways a Bridesmaid. On some levels, she even inspired the decision to write this piece.

KEEP READINGShow less
LATEST POSTS