So, imagine you’re Letitia Wright. You broke out in a big, big way in 2018 after co-starring in “Black Panther.” From there, you show up in “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame,” two of the biggest films of all time. Then you round that out by starring in an acclaimed Steve McQueen film as part of the “Small Axe” anthology. And by what appears to be all reports, due to Chadwick Boseman’s death, your role in “Black Panther 2” seems to be of much greater importance. If you’re in a position like this, why, oh why, would you decide NOW is the time to post some anti-vaxxer nonsense on social media and immediately polarize yourself with the very people that effectively worshipped you minutes prior?
Letitia Wright found herself in hot water after she tweeted a video of a man explaining his concerns and reasons for not wanting to take a vaccine for COVID-19. It wasn’t just a retweet either, as Wright endorsed his message in her emoji-laden response. In a world suffering through a pandemic that has made millions sick and killed so, so many, coming out as opposed to the vaccine that might save lives isn’t necessarily a good look for a budding A-lister in Hollywood.
As you might expect, the response was quick and harsh, as fans started to call for her departure from the “Black Panther” franchise, and even Don Cheadle, one of her Marvel Studios cohorts, publicly stating that he was opposed to her tweet.
Her first response to this controversy was defiant, as Wright tweeted, “if you don’t conform to popular opinions. but ask questions and think for yourself….you get canceled [laughing emoji].”
Later, Wright came forward with a new social media post to clarify her messaging, before deleting her Twitter account altogether. And to say that it’s a full-blown apology is definitely not the case. This is a clarification, first and foremost.
She tweeted (punctuation hers, not ours), “my intention was not to hurt anyone, my ONLY intention of posting the video was it raised my concerns with what the vaccine contains and what we are putting in our bodies. Nothing else.”
Obviously, this isn’t the full apology that people were expecting, nor is it as defiant as her first response. That said, it’ll be interesting to see how fans and her actor friends support or rebuke her sentiments. Either way, this is not a good position for the future star of the MCU, huh?