For a film producer, there always comes a responsibility over not just the way the entire project is made, but also in the working conditions the cast and crew are in. For Nate Moore, producer of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and other live-action Marvel projects, there was one moment that understandably shook him to his core, and that’s Letitia Wright’s harrowing on-set accident.
In a round table discussion with The Hollywood Reporter, which also featured other notable contenders for the prestigious Best Picture nod, Moore shared his moments receiving the call that the actress had been in an accident, and his concerns on her well-being afterwards.
“Panther was a tough one to get to the screen, but the scariest moment was actually when Tish [Letitia Wright] got injured. We were shooting some second-unit work [and] some stunt work in Boston. The full crew was still in Atlanta, so I got a call in the middle of the night from the ambulance. That is terrifying because it’s not just about the movie at that point, it’s about a person, and a person I’ve known for years. As a producer, you feel responsible for everybody in your crew. You feel responsible for having her in that position in the first place and picking up the pieces. Figuring out the schedule was almost the easier part than figuring out how to get Tish’s head right and to get her the help that she needed, both physically and mentally. That was a huge, traumatic thing for her to go through. To make her comfortable to come back and perform at the level that she was performing — you don’t know if you’re going to come back from that, to be quite honest, but she did.”
In August, 2021, Wright suffered a fractured shoulder, a concussion, and other injuries after a motorcycle stunt went awry.
Thankfully, as Moore revealed, not only did Wright end up making a great recovery, but she was still able to knock her role of Shuri out of the park. The actress provided much of the heart of the film, as her character dealt with a lot of losses and growing pains to become the ruler of Wakanda. Wright received unanimous praise from critics and the public alike for her emotional depth onscreen, as well as her strength to carry on despite a horrifying accident.
The actress revealed last year that she was still working through the trauma in therapy, and fans continue to send love her way, while showering her some much deserved praise for her formidable performance as Princess Shuri.
