Letitia Wright denies pushing anti-vax views on ‘Black Panther 2’ set
Letitia Wright denies pushing an anti-vaccine stance on the set of Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
In The Hollywood Reporter‘s “Hollywood Battle Lines Emerge in Simmering Vaccine War” story published earlier this month, looking at the chaos on film and TV sets with no vaccine mandate and some A-list stars refusing to get vaccinated, the Black Panther actress, 27, was singled out.
Wright, who’s among celebrities who have shared anti-vaccine positions on social media, “espoused similar views about the COVID-19 vaccines” on the Atlanta set of the Marvel movie sequel, sources told the news outlet. The story also noted, “The British actress quietly parted ways with her entire U.S. team of representatives in the wake of a backlash over posting a controversial anti-vaccine video in December.”
On Wednesday, Wright denies pushing an anti-vax agenda on the set.
“It saddens me to have to address the report” about “my conduct on the set of Black Panther 2,” she wrote on Instagram. “I honestly assert that this was completely untrue.”
She continued, “Anyone who knows me or has worked with me, knows that I work incredibly hard at my craft & my main focus is always to do work that’s impactful and inspiring. That has been & will continue to be my only focus.”
The photo accompanying the post was an image of armor alongside the biblical passage: “Weapons made to attack you won’t be successful; words spoken against you won’t hurt at all.”
A rep for Wright, who did not say if she’s received the COVID vaccine or not, has not yet responded to Yahoo Entertainment’s request for further comment.
The actress was briefly hospitalized in August after suffering injuries while filming a stunt for the sequel.
In December, the star, who gained global recognition for her portrayal of Shuri in Black Panther, faced criticism for tweeting a YouTube video spreading vaccine misinformation. She subsequently deleted it, saying she didn’t post it “to hurt anyone.” She said it merely “raised my concerns with what the vaccine contains and what we are putting in our bodies. Nothing else.”
Wright subsequently deleted her Twitter account. Today’s Instagram post is her first since last year.
The Hollywood Reporter‘s story said the sets of productions have become a “Hollywood battlefield,” with a blind item about “a high-profile actor” who was on the set of a film in August “when he came down with COVID-19 and was hospitalized. The star, known to the cast and crew as being dismissive of vaccines and mask use, was unvaccinated. The film shut down for three weeks, but not before more than a dozen crew members got sick.” It resulted in a seven-figure loss for the production company.
George Clooney told the outlet it was “crazy” and “stupid” that some of his fellow actors are refusing to get the vaccine, putting others at risk. “And it’s stupid because every generation in our country for more than a lifetime has been asked to sacrifice something for the safety of their fellow man — get shot, fight Nazis,” Clooney said. “All that anyone’s being asked here is to get a shot in the arm and put on a mask. Grow up.”
Breaking Bad actor Giancarlo Esposito suggested all unvaccinated actors “go to a small island and sequester” amid the pandemic. Otherwise “you’re saying ‘F*** you’ to all you other human beings.” He added that he’s “not downing anyone who doesn’t want to vaccinate,” but, “Don’t work. Go ride it out somewhere where you’re not going to compromise anyone else if you get it.”
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