Letitia Wright Slams Article Calling Vaccine Controversy Her Personal Baggage

Though the film continues to dominate the box office, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever star Letitia Wright has found herself at the center of a negative Hollywood Reporter story, and she’s firing back. Wright returned to the big screen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe sequel, which saw Shuri and the nation of Wakanda mourning the loss of Chadwick Boseman’s King T’Challa and having to face off against Namor and his underwater kingdom of Talokan. On top of the real-life death of Boseman, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever encountered a number of production delays due to on-set injuries, as well as one major controversy a star is looking to finally move past.

Just over two weeks after the film hit theaters, The Hollywood Reporter published a story reflecting on certain actors’ “Personal Baggage” affecting their Oscars chances, one subject being that of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever‘s Letitia Wright. The story noted her reported anti-vaxx beliefs on the set of the MCU sequel while also comparing her to the likes of Will Smith, who’s receiving Oscars buzz for Emancipation after assaulting Chris Rock at this year’s ceremony, Woody Allen, and Brad Pitt, among others. Wright subsequently took to her Instagram story to slam THR for these comparisons and accusing the story’s writer, Scott Feinberg, for having a clear bias against her. See Wright’s response 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 behavior. 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 apologized 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 post I apologized 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.

Letitia Wright’s Anti-Vaxx Controversy Explained

Reports of Wright’s alleged anti-vaxx beliefs on the set of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever began swirling when filming went on hiatus while she recovered from a fractured shoulder and concussion she suffered from while filming. Wright’s retweeting of an anti-vaxx conspiracy video also led some to believe filming on the MCU sequel would be further delayed, since she had reportedly not received the COVID vaccination. Wright would later come out to debunk these reports, first surfaced by THR, emphatically calling them “completely untrue” and assuring her focus was on doing the work “that’s impactful and inspiring.”

Even as she returned to production, with Marvel and the creative team behind Black Panther: Wakanda Forever praising her work, reports continued to swirl of Wright departing the MCU sequel, or the role being recast entirely. These reports would similarly be debunked by sources close to the production, with filming finally wrapping this past March, just over seven months before it was slated to hit theaters. In spite of the controversy, Wright has gone on to score critical acclaim for her performance in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, with the film also already becoming a box office success with over $545 million grossed thus far, eclipsing Black Adam‘s worldwide haul in just its opening week.

Why THR’s Wright Comparisons Are Far Too Harsh

Given the terrifying ordeals many endured during the heights of the COVID pandemic, it’s understandable many would be quick to criticize any reports of anti-vaxx beliefs in Hollywood, though with over a year gone from the initial headlines and her multiple apologies, bringing Wright’s reported beliefs back up is largely unnecessary. Moreover, THR‘s comparisons of the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever star to a variety of men with confirmed, and highly-publicized, instances of physical assault, sexual misconduct and antisemitic comments is far too harsh, especially considering some have sought to sweep their pasts under the rug, or in the case of Roman Polanski completely fleeing the country. While audiences await a response from THR to Wright’s criticisms, they can celebrate her acclaimed work with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever now in theaters.