One such example is M'Baku from the Black Panther film played by Winston Duke (Person of Interest). While he isn't really a superhero nor is he the nicest guy, he is part of the Marvel universe. FlickDirect was lucky enough to join him when he came to Miami to promote Avengers: Infinity War and he spoke about community and being cast as part of one of the biggest movie events of all time. "It's a universe of strong bold personalities", he said when sitting down to discuss the film.
One of the things that stood out to him the most was the diversity. There are so many different characters with different backgrounds and that is something he is proud of. However, he did feel the Avengers family "was already built. They have their own shorthand, but what was refreshing is that they welcomed us to it." once again circling back to that sense of community.
On that note, he segued into his own heritage and community and how they support him. Hailing from Argyle, Tobago, he mentioned how they all embraced the film. "It's humbling to know my community that isn't in any kind of proximity to Hollywood but they're still consuming it". He also stated, "I am proud of Caribbean background"
Of course, he was tight-lipped when speaking about the film itself so as to not give away any spoilers. He joked, "can't tell you that above my pay grade" but then became more serious stating," can't give anything away. I just know what I worked on but it's a really beautiful tapestry of storytelling like you've never seen before 10 hears of story telling and investing in these characters".
He also discussed what it was like to be cast in these films. "I was blown away. I'm a realist and grounded. I'm very happy to be a working actor. They keep calling you which means a lot. We value you, we like your work"
On that note, he discussed his plan for the future. I like telling a great story and I want to continue telling wonderful stories" It seems M'Baku in the Marvel universe is a great place to start. However, he did joke about one thing, "… having a little action figure it's really great; surreal".
