Who could forget the brilliant, sassy, scientific Wakandan Princess Shuri from Black Panther? Letitia Wright’s portrayal of Shuri garnered global recognition as Black Panther smashed box office expectations and portrayed complex black superheroes.
Wright has gone on to star in other massive Marvel hits, including Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, and her acting career shows no sign of slowing down.
However, did you know that just a few years ago, Wright walked away from a major film role because she felt that she needed to go deeper in her relationship with Christ?
Very few celebrities are as willing to speak as boldly and articulately about their faith as Wright; we wanted to highlight some of her powerful testimony and celebrate her impact on the world.
In the beginning, it was actually mental health struggles that opened her heart to connect with God.
Wright explained to Vanity Fair that she began to face a deep depression at the age of 20. She was invited to attend a Bible study for British actors and felt called to give her life to Christ. As she dove deeper into her faith, she discovered freedom from her suffering.
Speaking to Teen Vogue, Wright explained, “I speak boldly about [depression] because I struggled with it and I tried to find different ways [to heal], and it just didn’t work. I had to look deeper to find what could hold me, and I found that what held me together was my relationship with Jesus and my relationship with God.”
Her boldness to discuss both her faith and mental health proves to offer powerful hope to others who may also be suffering.
During her season of spiritual transformation, Wright began to face a difficult decision. Should she continue to pursue her acting career, which she considered to be an idol, but was also beginning to take off? Or should she step aside from a major film opportunity (alongside Nicole Kidman and Elle Fanning) to instead focus on her new Christian faith?
She bravely decided to give up the role and listen to the Holy Spirit’s calling: “I continue to go on this journey with Him, gave up the job. … I spent seven months just with Christ and with my Word and in church.”
Against all worldly wisdom, Wright’s decision to focus on her spiritual life seems to have been the best professional decision she could have possibly made. She had time to “fall in love with Jesus,” and she was also still able to land the acting role of a lifetime—Shuri the Wakandan Princess.
Wright’s passion for Christ is infectious. She speaks boldly and frequently of God’s glory to anyone who will listen. However, sometimes journalists edit her testimony out from interviews. Never mind, though: Wright took to Twitter to assert that even if reporters edit God out from her quotes, she will never stop giving Him praise.
Speaking of social media, Wright loves to share Scripture with the millions of people who follow her on Twitter and Instagram. She regularly references her faith in captions and also often posts Bible verse imagery on these social platforms.
Not only is Wright a remarkable Christian role model, but as a black woman portraying a tech-savvy superhero, she’s also giving a powerful face to STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). Women and racial minorities are woefully underrepresented in STEM careers. When young generations see characters like Shuri making science seem incredibly cool, this helps impact what they may believe is possible for their own life.
Wright, your life is making a massive impact on the next generation. We are truly your No. 1 fans. {eoa}
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