Michaela Coel has shared what convinced her to star as Aneka in Marvel’s highly anticipated sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
In the comic book series on which the movie is based, Coel’s Aneka is the captain of the Dora Milaje, Wakanda’s valorous all-female crew of warrior protectors.
However, her forbidden romance with fellow warrior Ayo (played by Florence Kasumba) eventually disrupts the ranks.
“That sold me on the role, the fact that my character’s queer,” Coel explained to Vogue in a new interview.
“I thought: I like that, I want to show that to Ghana,” the 35-year-old actor said.
To this day, Ghana continues its enforcement of antigay laws, which date back to the colonial era. A bill calling for some of the harshest anti-LGBTQ+ legislation Africa has ever seen has recently been put to the country’s parliament.
If approved, it could make identifying as gay or even an ally, a second-degree felony, with a punishment of five years in prison.
“People say, ‘Oh, it’s fine, it’s just politics.’ But I don’t think it is just politics when it affects how people get to live their daily lives,” Coel said.
“That’s why it felt important for me to step in and do that role because I know just by my being Ghanaian, Ghanaians will come.”
The forthcoming film will see Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), Shuri (Letitia Wright), M’Baku (Winston Duke), Okoye (Danai Gurira) and the Dora Milaje fighting to protect their nation from opposing world powers after the death of King T’Challa.
T’Challa was played by the late Chadwick Boseman, who died in August 2020 from colon cancer.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is scheduled to be released in cinemas on 11 November.
