美国国家公共电台 NPR Danai Gurira On Her 'Black Panther' Role: 'She Protects What We Would Have Been'

 

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Finally today, we get our chance to talk about a movie that is not only hot but historic - Marvel¹'s "Black Panther."

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "BLACK PANTHER")

CHADWICK BOSEMAN: (As T'Challa) The Black Panther been a protector of Wakanda for generations. Now, it is time to show the outside world who we are.

MARTIN: "Black Panther" is based on the Marvel comic of the same name. It's directed by Ryan Coogler. His previous directing credits were "Fruitvale Station" and "Creed²." And according to the online ticket retailer³ Fandango, more presale tickets for the film were sold than for any other superhero movie ever. Now, the movie is out now, but just in case you aren't one of the millions of people who snagged one of those first tickets, let us catch you up.

Black Panther is the alter ego⁴ of King T'Challa, who reigns⁵ over the fictional⁶ African kingdom of Wakanda. Wakanda is the sole source of a substance called vibranium, which has given the kingdom great wealth and technological⁷ advancement⁸. King T'Challa, played by Chadwick Boseman, is sworn to protect it. And he, in turn, is protected by a group of female warriors⁹ led by Okoye, played with scene-stealing verve by Danai Gurira. And Danai Gurira is with us now from our bureau in New York. Thank you so much for speaking with us.

DANAI GURIRA: Thank you for having me.

MARTIN: I feel like I should salute¹⁰ my general.

GURIRA: (Laughter) No need. At ease. At ease.

MARTIN: Thank you. Thank you. As we were when did you realize that this film wasn't just a film but a phenomenon? Now I mentioned the online presales but the ecstatic reviews, people buying rows of seats, people trying to buy out - rent out whole theaters so that school kids could see it. At what point did you realize that this was all happening?

GURIRA: Well, even the excitement when it was just first announced, when we were announced as the additional cast at Comic-Con, that was really amazing. But then the real moment hit, it was when when that trailer came out. That's when the response was something we could never have imagined, quite honestly.

MARTIN: Well, how did you react to that? I mean, what did you say to yourself?

GURIRA: You know, I've always felt blessed to be a part of this because I could understand the response in the sense that this is imagery and narrative¹¹ that many of us have yearned¹² for. I know, being a black woman whose from Zimbabwe and from the United States, I've yearned for this type of imagery. I mean, it's one of those things I'm just excited it was getting made. The idea of actually touching¹³ into Africans being treated with this sort of respect and on this type of a platform and the narrative coming from, you know, the black perspective entirely¹⁴ and the sort of pride.

There's something about the pride that this shows, that Wakanda shows, African pride, black pride, pride of your people, of your culture of, you know, who you are outside of any hegemonical influence and how you can create your own hegemony right there amongst your own people. That, I think, is something people have really attached to. And I get it, being that I'm African. But, you know, I think it's beyond that. Many, many people of every different race I've come across are really attaching to that. And it's just been really thrilling. I really couldn't have anticipated it.

MARTIN: I was wondering, what was the chicken and what was the egg? Because there's, you know, black Hollywood royalty¹⁵ as a part of this. I mean, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, Oscar winner, your friend, Lupita Nyong'o, who starred in one of your plays. Were all of these major figures - yourself included - attracted to this project, or do you think people are attracted to the project because people like you are in it?

GURIRA: I think it's hard to say. But I will say that we were attracted to this astounding¹⁶ idea of - you know, I heard about it. I was told I had the offer actually the night "Eclipsed" opened on Broadway, Speaking of that play. And I was like, what? I couldn't even believe it. I was like, Marvel and Ryan Coogler are doing what? Like, I was like trying to piece together in my brain. Like, my manager had to repeat it like four times.

But like, you know, when I sat down with Mr. Coogler, you know, what's very important to me as an African woman and as a playwright¹⁷ who writes from the African perspective because of the lack thereof or the misrepresentation thereof or the distortion thereof, it was very important that this was, you know, that an African narrative is treated with respect and an authenticity¹⁸. And sitting down with him and hearing his vision, I was just like, OK, this is special.

MARTIN: Let me back up for folks who don't know exactly what we're talking about here. I want to mention that you have a whole other life outside of being an awesome¹⁹ butt-kicking bodyguard²⁰ to the king. People know you as the zombie killer²¹ Michonne in AMC's "The Walking Dead." You are an accomplished²² playwright. You've been nominated for a Tony Award for your play "Eclipsed." So you are well-positioned as both a creator of content and as a person who has starred in kind of culture-grabbing material yourself. And you've also, you know, appeared in independent films. I'm just wondering - this whole blockbuster experience, because this is what this is, what is that like?

GURIRA: It's great. I mean, I think what's really exciting to me is the idea that it's a blockbuster where I'm speaking Xhosa.

MARTIN: I wanted to ask you about that.

GURIRA: (Laughter) I just think that's the coolest thing in the world.

MARTIN: Actually, why don't I just do this? Why don't I play a clip? And then we'll talk about it. In the film, you play, as we said, Okoye, the lead general of the king's special forces unit. In this scene, you're working with the CIA. You've helped catch one of the bad guys. You're observing the interrogation. And your character is speaking to the king, T'Challa, in front of the CIA agent that you've teamed up with. Let's play that clip, and then we'll talk about it.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "BLACK PANTHER")

BOSEMAN: (As T'Challa) After your questioning, we will take him back to Wakanda with us.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: (As character) What? No. I like you a lot, but he's in my custody²³ now. He's not going anywhere. Listen. I'm doing you guys a favor by letting you even be in here.

GURIRA: (As Okoye, speaking Xhosa).

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: (As character) Does she speak English?

GURIRA: (As Okoye) When she wants to.

MARTIN: So much going on here (laughter). Now tell me again, you are, in fact, speaking...

GURIRA: Xhosa. It's the same language that is native to Nelson Mandela. It's from the Cape²⁴ region of South Africa. And Mr. John Kani, who plays to T'Challa's father, T'Chaka, he's Xhosa. And so he - they started and agreed to that language being the language of Wakanda in "Captain America: Civil War" where, of course, T'Chaka is unfortunately killed.

MARTIN: Tell us a bit more about Okoye, your character. She is amazing.

GURIRA: Thank you. Okoye is the - yes, she's the general of his armed forces. She's the head of the Dora Milaje. The Dora Milaje, as we know from the comic books, are like his special guard. They're also pretty much the guardians²⁶ of the throne and the royal family, which makes them pretty much the guardians of the stability of the nation. And she works pretty much as his right-hand woman - not man - and is involved in everything he does.

MARTIN: But the thing that we noticed was that that, unlike other superhero movies, where, you know, there may be a female character who is a meaty character but she's still the one. You know, there's one female strong character like, you know, Black Widow, who's a great character but, you know, she's still surrounded by men. In this film, the women - no one is a sidekick. Yes, King T'Challa is the lead. He's the Black Panther. But their roles, including yours, are quite substantial. And they have their own agency.

GURIRA: Arc.

MARTIN: Arc, yeah. And I wondered, how did you understand her inner core? Because she still is - she still loves someone. I mean, she is seen to have a love relationship. And so it's not like she's just a - she's not a celibate²⁷. Like, she's not sworn to not have feelings. But how did you understand her?

GURIRA: I thought that was really exciting, the multi-dimensionality of that and the fact that she was allowed to be very fierce and very feminine. And I thought that was just such a combination that you don't often get to see. One gets sacrificed for the other in some sense. But it's - I know so many fierce and feminine women, you know. And I was like, when do we get to see that on screen? And so the thing that really connected me in a really powerful way was her love and her loyalty²⁸ to this thing called Wakanda, this nation that was never colonized²⁹ and consequently became the most advanced nation on the globe in terms of technology and used its resources for its own people, which Africa never got to do, you know.

The idea of being a guardian²⁵ of that place, of being a protector alongside Black Panther, to me, that just resonated so deeply as something that, you know, you are loyal to to the death and beyond. You know, Africans always wonder, who would we have been if we weren't colonized? And she protects what we would have been. And to me, that just - it was very - it made her very palpable.

MARTIN: That's Danai Gurira. She is currently starring in Marvel's "Black Panther." She was kind of to join us from our bureau in New York. Danai Gurira, thank you so much for speaking with us.

GURIRA: Thank you.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ALL THE STARS")

SZA: (Singing) This may be the night that my dreams might let me know. All the stars are closer. All the stars are closer. All the stars are closer. This may be the night that my dreams might let me know. All the stars are closer. All the stars are closer. All the stars are closer.

KENDRICK LAMAR: (Rapping) Tell me what you're going to do to me. Confrontation³⁰ ain't nothing to new me.

1 marvel   

vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事

参考例句：

• The robot is a marvel of modern engineering.机器人是现代工程技术的奇迹。
• The operation was a marvel of medical skill.这次手术是医术上的一个奇迹。

2 creed   

n.信条；信念，纲领

参考例句：

• They offended against every article of his creed.他们触犯了他的每一条戒律。
• Our creed has always been that business is business.我们的信条一直是公私分明。

3 retailer   

n.零售商(人)

参考例句：

• What are the retailer requirements?零售商会有哪些要求呢？
• The retailer has assembled a team in Shanghai to examine the question.这家零售商在上海组建了一支团队研究这个问题。

4 ego   

n.自我，自己，自尊

参考例句：

• He is absolute ego in all thing.在所有的事情上他都绝对自我。
• She has been on an ego trip since she sang on television.她上电视台唱过歌之后就一直自吹自擂。

5 reigns   

n.君主的统治( reign的名词复数 )；君主统治时期；任期；当政期

参考例句：

• In these valleys night reigns. 夜色笼罩着那些山谷。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The Queen of Britain reigns, but she does not rule or govern. 英国女王是国家元首，但不治国事。 来自辞典例句

6 fictional   

adj.小说的，虚构的

参考例句：

• The names of the shops are entirely fictional.那些商店的名字完全是虚构的。
• The two authors represent the opposite poles of fictional genius.这两位作者代表了天才小说家两个极端。

7 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

8 advancement   

n.前进，促进，提升

参考例句：

• His new contribution to the advancement of physiology was well appreciated.他对生理学发展的新贡献获得高度赞赏。
• The aim of a university should be the advancement of learning.大学的目标应是促进学术。

9 warriors   

武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I like reading the stories ofancient warriors. 我喜欢读有关古代武士的故事。
• The warriors speared the man to death. 武士们把那个男子戳死了。

10 salute   

vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮

参考例句：

• Merchant ships salute each other by dipping the flag.商船互相点旗致敬。
• The Japanese women salute the people with formal bows in welcome.这些日本妇女以正式的鞠躬向人们施礼以示欢迎。

11 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

12 yearned   

渴望，切盼，向往( yearn的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The people yearned for peace. 人民渴望和平。
• She yearned to go back to the south. 她渴望回到南方去。

13 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

14 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

15 royalty   

n.皇家，皇族

参考例句：

• She claims to be descended from royalty.她声称她是皇室后裔。
• I waited on tables，and even catered to royalty at the Royal Albert Hall.我做过服务生， 甚至在皇家阿伯特大厅侍奉过皇室的人。

16 astounding   

adj.使人震惊的vt.使震惊，使大吃一惊astound的现在分词)

参考例句：

• There was an astounding 20% increase in sales. 销售量惊人地增加了20%。
• The Chairman's remarks were so astounding that the audience listened to him with bated breath. 主席说的话令人吃惊，所以听众都屏息听他说。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 playwright   

n.剧作家，编写剧本的人

参考例句：

• Gwyn Thomas was a famous playwright.格温·托马斯是著名的剧作家。
• The playwright was slaughtered by the press.这位剧作家受到新闻界的无情批判。

18 authenticity   

n.真实性

参考例句：

• There has been some debate over the authenticity of his will. 对于他的遗嘱的真实性一直有争论。
• The museum is seeking an expert opinion on the authenticity of the painting. 博物馆在请专家鉴定那幅画的真伪。

19 awesome   

adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的

参考例句：

• The church in Ireland has always exercised an awesome power.爱尔兰的教堂一直掌握着令人敬畏的权力。
• That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了.

20 bodyguard   

n.护卫，保镖

参考例句：

• She has to have an armed bodyguard wherever she goes.她不管到哪儿都得有带武器的保镖跟从。
• The big guy standing at his side may be his bodyguard.站在他身旁的那个大个子可能是他的保镖。

21 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

22 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

23 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

24 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

25 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

26 guardians   

监护人( guardian的名词复数 )； 保护者，维护者

参考例句：

• Farmers should be guardians of the countryside. 农民应是乡村的保卫者。
• The police are guardians of law and order. 警察是法律和秩序的护卫者。

27 celibate   

adj.独身的，独身主义的；n.独身者

参考例句：

• He had defended the institution of a celibate priesthood.他捍卫了独身牧师制度。
• The instinct of the celibate warned him to hold back.单身汉的本能告诫他回头是岸。

28 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。

29 colonized   

开拓殖民地，移民于殖民地( colonize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The area was colonized by the Vikings. 这一地区曾沦为维京人的殖民地。
• The British and French colonized the Americas. 英国人和法国人共同在美洲建立殖民地。

30 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。