As Black Panther: Wakanda Forever continues to dominate the box office, star Letitia Wright is no longer remaining silent about the anti-vaccine controversy that created doubts about her presence in the film. In December 2020, Wright shared and then deleted a video that equated the vaccine with the Biblical “Mark of the Beast,” and she was accused of anti-trans remarks. After taking down her social media accounts, Wright has not touched the subject even after a subsequent report in The Hollywood Reporter accused her of spreading anti-vax views on the set of the Black Panther sequel.
That has now changed. In a new report on “How Personal Baggage Will Impact Oscar Chances,” Wright is named alongside Will Smith, Brad Pitt, Roman Polanski, Woody Allen, Casey Affleck, and Mel Gibson. Via THR:
Then there’s Letitia Wright, the lead actress in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which Disney released Nov. 11. While hers is far from the magnitude of baggage held by Smith or Pitt, she did endure a fair share of bad publicity when she retweeted an anti-vax conspiracy video in December 2020 and then reportedly promoted anti-vax views on the set of the film. (She denies the latter.) Backlash became so strong that some fans on social media called for the role to be recast.
While writer Scott Feinberg acknowledges that Wright’s anti-COVID views aren’t severe, and she’ll most likely experience the “least resistance” going into the Oscars, Wright did not appreciate being included next to men accused of violent and/or sexual assault.
In a new Instagram Story, she unloaded on both Feinberg and The Hollywood Reporter for having a vendetta against her. She also denied its previous reporting that she was spouting anti-vaccine views on set, which producer Nate Moore and co-star Winston Duke have also denied in interviews.
You can read Wright’s full statement below:
I had to unblock @hollywoodreporter just to post this. Scott Feinberg and all at this publication. You’re all incredibly disrespectful. How dare you. You mentioned my name alongside men who have been accused of abuse & sexual misconduct. This is vile behaviour. At this point a personal vendetta towards me. I’ve done nothing wrong but respectfully refused to do interviews with this publication. Stop your nonsense. I apologised TWO years ago. Remained silent on the topic. You lied and said I continued talking about it with my cast & crew on my set. THIS WAS NOT TRUE. ASK MY PRODUCER AND DIRECTOR. The film is successful. Your agenda towards me is now even more clear. I won’t remain silent. Stop your disgusting behavior.
@scott_feinberg This personal agenda with your friends at @hollywoodreporter is disgusting. I’ve remained silent as the world told me to kill myself two years ago for a I posted and apologised for. I kept my head down and focused on my craft. And now I’m at the other side of it. Here you are, as a so called journalist we are meant to trust, putting my name into this nasty article for what? You lack substance, you clearly have nothing to report. The movie is beautiful, impactful & breaking box office. I worked my ass off with my cast and crew to dedicate it to my Brother. How dare you. Did my performance rattle you that much? It was that excellent huh? I’m still here, still making impact, still creating projects that touch peoples hearts and it’s not going to stop. Get a life, like for real.