Letitia Wright

Letitia Michelle Wright (born 31 October 1993) is a Guyanese-British actress. She began her career with guest roles in the television series Top Boy, Coming Up, Chasing Shadows, Humans, Doctor Who, and Black Mirror. For the latter, she received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. She then had her breakthrough for her role in the 2015 film Urban Hymn, for which the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) named Wright among the 2015 group of BAFTA Breakthrough Brits.

In 2018, she attained global recognition for her portrayal of Shuri in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Black Panther, for which she won an NAACP Image Award and a SAG Award. Wright reprised the role in Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). In 2019, she received the BAFTA Rising Star Award. She also appeared in Steve McQueen's 2020 anthology series Small Axe, which earned her a Satellite Award nomination.

Early life and education Letitia Michelle Wright was born on 31 October 1993 in Georgetown, Guyana. Her family moved to London, England, when she was eight years old, and she attended Northumberland Park Community School.

On 1 February 2023, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Arts and Letters from the University of Guyana at an Extraordinary Convocation Ceremony.

Career

Wright performed in school plays, but she credits her desire to be a professional actress to seeing the 2006 film Akeelah and the Bee. She found Keke Palmer's performance inspiring, remarking that the role "resonated. It's one of the reasons why I'm here". She attended the Identity School of Acting.

In 2011, she appeared as a recurring role in the series Top Boy and in two episodes of Holby City. The same year, she appeared in the Doctor Who episode Face the Raven, and the following year, she began a recurring role as Renie on Humans. In 2017, Wright starred in the Black Mirror episode "Black Museum"; her performance earned her a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie.

Wright co-starred in the 2018 film Black Panther, playing the role of Shuri, King T'Challa's sister and princess of Wakanda. Part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the film also starred Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, and Danai Gurira. Wright won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Breakthrough Performance in a Motion Picture for her work in the film, Also in 2018, Wright appeared as Reb in Steven Spielberg's film adaptation of the 2011 science-fiction novel Ready Player One. Wright features as one of the cameos in Drake's music video for "Nice for What".

In 2018, Wright was also featured in a play called The Convert, which was staged at London's Young Vic Theatre. The play was the story of an English-speaking missionary in the 19th century, where the Africans were trained to speak Victorian English and engage in Christianity. This play was set in 1895, when a Black male Catholic teacher and missionary called Chilford occupies a mission house in Rhodesian Salisbury. Wright plays the character of a Jekesai, a young Rhodesia girl who is being forced into marriage by her uncle, but is saved by Chilford.

In 2019, Wright won the BAFTA Rising Star Award. before reprising her role as Shuri in Avengers: Endgame.

In 2020, Wright founded the production company 3.16 Productions, named for the Bible verse John 3:16.

Wright appeared in 2022's Death on the Nile. She was also cast in Steve McQueen's mini-series Small Axe, set in London's West Indian community between the 1960s and 1980s. In the first episode, Mangrove, which premiered on BBC One on 15 November 2020, Wright plays British Black Panther leader Altheia Jones-LeCointe, who, along with eight other Black activists, was arrested and charged with inciting a riot after a peaceful protest in 1970. Wright earned "Best Supporting Actress" nominations for this role, bringing "focussed energy and passion" to her depiction of the real-life Jones-LeCointe, as noted by The New Yorker.

In September 2022 appeared as June Gibbons in the film The Silent Twins, based on the 1986 book of the same name by Marjorie Wallace.

Wright returned as Shuri for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which depicts Shuri becoming the new Black Panther following the death of T'Challa; the film marked her first leading role. Released in November 2022, the film was made in honor of Chadwick Boseman, who died from colon cancer in 2020.

Personal life Wright has opened up about her struggles with depression. She told Vanity Fair in 2018 that when she first experienced depression at the age of 20, she "was in the dark going through so many bad things".

In December 2020, Wright generated controversy from media for sharing on Twitter, with praying hands emojis, a video from the YouTube channel On The Table in which Tomi Arayomi, a senior leader with the Light London church, expressed doubts about COVID-19 vaccines and also discussed the COVID-19 lab leak theory, amongst other statements; the video was later deleted. Wright later clarified: "My intention was not to hurt anyone, my ONLY intention of posting the video was it raised my concerns with what the vaccine contains and what we are putting in our bodies. Nothing else."

In October 2021, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Wright had parted ways with her U.S. team of representatives due to the response to the video and her alleged promotion of anti-vaccine sentiments on the set of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Wright returned to social media to deny these claims. Her Wakanda Forever co-star Angela Bassett stated that she had never heard Wright share such sentiments during filming, while Marvel vice president Nate Moore said that she was not sharing her views on set and that her status did not affect production. Later that month, Wright condemned The Hollywood Reporter for an article that included her amongst awards-season prospects with "personal baggage", in which its author Scott Feinberg compared her past comments with men accused of abuse and sexual misconduct. She reiterated that she had already apologised for her comments two years prior and had remained silent on the topic, and accused both the publication and Feinberg of having an "agenda" against her, which she described as "vile" and "disgusting" behaviour.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 2011 Victim Nyla 2012 My Brother the Devil Aisha 2015 Urban Hymn Jamie Harrison 2018 The Commuter Jules Skateboarder Black Panther Shuri Ready Player One Reb Avengers: Infinity War Shuri 2019 Guava Island Yara Love 2022 Death on the Nile Rosalie Otterbourne Aisha Aisha Osagie Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Shuri / Black Panther 2023 Surrounded Moses Washington Also producer 2024 Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot Executive producer 2025 Highway to the Moon Directorial debut; also writer and producer 2026 Avengers: Doomsday Shuri / Black Panther Post-production

Television Year Title Role Notes 2011 Holby City Ellie Maynard Episodes: "Tunnel Vision" and "Crossing the Line" Top Boy Chantelle Recurring cast (season 1) Random Girl 3 TV movie 2013 Coming Up Hannah Episode: "Big Girl" 2014 Chasing Shadows Taylor Davis Episode: "Only Connect: Part 1 & 2" Glasgow Girls Amal TV movie 2015 Banana Vivienne Scott Recurring cast Cucumber Vivienne Scott Recurring cast Doctor Who Anahson Episode: "Face the Raven" 2016 Humans Renie Recurring cast (season 2) 2017 Black Mirror Nish Episode: "Black Museum" 2020 Small Axe Altheia Jones Episode: "Mangrove" 2021 I Am... Danielle Episode: "I Am Danielle"

Theatre Year Title Role Venue Notes Ref.2026 The Story Yvonne Wilson Royal National Theatre West End

Awards and nominations