Over the last year, the cast and crew of Black Panther have experienced tremendous loss on a few fronts. Of course, the most notable death was the family’s central figure Chadwick Boseman. Now the cast was dealt another blow with the unexpected passing of Dorothy Steel. The Black Panther star died at the age of 95 due to an undisclosed illness, according to a Facebook post from her publicist. Right before her passing, Steel had been working on the Black Panther sequel. Upon learning of her passing, many tributes poured in from her co-stars and social media, and one of them came from her Black Panther co-star Lupita Nyong’o.
The Oscar winner took to her Instagram to eulogize the eldest member of the Black Panther family. Lupita Nyong’o paid her respect to Dorothy Steel by recounting the moments they spent together on the set of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. She finished her beautiful tribute with a lovely proverb to send off Steel to her next phase. To see what Nyong’o had to say about her late co-star, check out The 355 star’s full Instagram post below:
Given that Dorothy Steel began acting later in life, Lupita Nyong’o spoke to the impact she left in such a brief time. It seemed like being on set with Steel was a joy, as Nyong’o recalled the late actress being “wildly witty and very warm” while being dedicated to her role in Black Panther 2. The Oscar winner did give moviegoers a peek into what her co-star’s final days were like. The Us star recounted Steel making jokes about her limited time on Earth. According to the Hollywood star, her late co-star was very much aware of mortality and still wanted to film the sequel to the best of her abilities.
Lupita Nyong’o even recalled Dorothy Steel making her acting debut at age 88. Nyong’o praised Steel for taking a chance to pursue her dream in the latter phase of life. The Black Panther star seemed to be inspired by her late co-star’s ability to continuously learn and grow. So the late actress appeared to be a light and inspiration to those around her. Nyong’o's touching tribute to Steel wasn’t the first one she has done this year.
It seemed as if working on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has been hard for everyone, especially Lupita Nyong’o. In addition to her Dorothy Steel tribute, Nyong’o penned a short but sweet tribute to her late co-star Chadwick Boseman. Much like Steel, the Oscar winner reflected on her time with the Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom actor. Despite experiencing so much loss, she and the cast and crew have continued to push forward with making the anticipated sequel. Marvel fans will have to wait and see how much screen time Steel will receive when Black Panther: Wakanda Forever arrives in theaters on November 11, 2022.
