It’s all clear in the minds of many how difficult it was to keep things business as usual when the COVID-19 pandemic slowed and paused many businesses, including tons of Hollywood productions. This year, movie and TV sets continue to grapple with maintaining a safe environment in the coronavirus era. This includes the Black Panther sequel, Wakanda Forever, which is currently being filmed. Recent reports suggested that Letitia Wright was spreading ‘anti-vaccine’ information on the set of the film. A week after the backlash, Wright has responded to the claims made.
Letitia Wright responded on Instagram with an image of an armed knight with a quote from the Bible and a comment directly addressing the claims. In her words:
It saddens me to have to address the reports published by The Hollywood Reporter on October 6th 2021. The report spoke about my conduct on the set of Black Panther 2. I honestly assert that this was completely untrue. Anyone who knows me or has worked with me, knows that I work incredibly hard at my craft & my main focus is always to do work that’s impactful and inspiring. That has been & will continue to be my only focus.
The Hollywood Reporter article she references was called ‘Hollywood Battle Lines Emerge in Simmering Vaccine War,’ and it discussed the COVID-19 vaccine situation as it relates to Hollywood productions. The story named a “set source” who said that Letitia Wright was sharing anti-vaccine views on the set of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which has been shooting in Atlanta, Georgia since the summer.
The 27-year-old British actress was previously under fire on social media in December 2020 on the matter when she shared a video by a self-proclaimed prophet named Tomi Arayomi, who suggests vaccines cannot be trusted, along with saying he doesn’t “biologically believe in” transgender people. Wright herself did not initially share why she brought attention to the video, but it caused a lot of backlash her way.
Following that, Letitia Wright clarified on Twitter (in a since deleted post) that her “intention was not to hurt anyone,” but posting the video raised her concerns with “what the vaccine contains and what we are putting into our bodies.” Whether or not Wright is pro or anti-vaccine, her recent comments seem to be specifically referencing her behavior on set. Wright assured that her “focus” on set is her work and not on spreading vaccine beliefs.
These days Letitia Wright has limited her social media usage, with her Instagram bio stating “no tik tok. No facebook. No twitter.” You can check out her recent comments in full here:
Letitia Wright returns to Wakanda as Shuri alongside Angela Bassett, Danai Gurira, Daniel Kaluuya, Lupita Nyong’o, Florence Kasumba and Winston Duke on July 8, 2022. You can check out the full Marvel Cinematic Universe movie lineup here on CinemaBlend.
