‘Black Panther’ Breakout Letitia Wright on How Faith Rescued Her From a ‘Very Dark Place’
The “needle in a haystack” actress has overcome depression and is listening for God’s word on what’s next
By Alex Ritman
“I didn’t know that. I influence people? Amazing!”
Letitia Wright has just found out that she’s been named one of London’s top influencers by the Evening Standard, joining a list of long-standing power brokers (and Meghan Markle). Not that the 25-year-old should be surprised. From her scene-stealing breakout as tech genius Shuri in Marvel’s Black Panther to her Emmy-nominated turn on Netflix’s Black Mirror, to hanging at the Met Gala with Rihanna and Pharrell, Wright has had the sort of year most young actors could only pray for.
And that’s exactly what she did — after a spiritual awakening lifted her from her lowest point, just three years ago. “I was putting so much pressure on myself,” Wright says, speaking at a photo studio beneath a rumbling railway arch in London’s Shoreditch. At one point, she even questioned her place on Earth. “You get comfortable with the idea of thinking, maybe it’s OK to leave.”
