The legacy continues with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Ryan Coogler's hit sequel follows Queen Ramonda (Oscar nominee Angela Bassett), Shuri (Letitia Wright), M’Baku (Winston Duke), Okoye (Danai Gurira), and more, as they fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of the death of their beloved King T’Challa. As the Wakandans strive to embrace their next chapter, the heroes must band together with the help of War Dog Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) and Everett K. Ross (Martin Freeman) if they are to forge a new path for the kingdom.
Marvel Studios' latest film just arrived on Digital, including Disney+, and will be released on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on Feb. 7. The Academy Award-nominated film has plenty of new characters, in addition to the stellar cast returning to honor the late, great Chadwick Boseman. We recently caught up with Venezuela-native actor Alex Livinalli, who plays Attuma, one of the leaders of the Talokanil Army that the Wakandans encounter in the Black Panther sequel. As demonstrated in the film, Attuma is among the best warriors in his army. Livinalli dished on joining a superhero project that continues with the importance of diversity on the big screen.
'A Guy You Don't Want to Mess With'
MW: Could you tell us a bit about your character Attuma?
Alex Livinalli: Attuma is a guy that you don't want to mess with... Everything that he does, a reaction that he does, it's with his people at the center. He cares about his people, his way of life, and he's willing to go above and beyond to protect that, whatever that means.
MW: What was your favorite scene to shoot?
Livinalli: I gotta say, the bridge fight. It was quite a challenge. There were unforeseen things, but it was so much fun. And when I say "unforeseen things," it's that, you know, we were supposed to shoot [in the] summer and fall, but things happened in a way where the shooting have to be shifted, and we ended up shooting that scene in the winter. And we were really not prepared for that. So you know, once we get out there — because we shot it, you know, it was outside our doors, exterior shots, night shoots in like 28 degrees during that whole thing — it was a little bit challenging. That first take, you could feel like all your bones were going [crack-crack-crack]... But it was exciting. And you know, I'm so proud of all my co-stars and stunt doubles... We all showed up and we kicked [expletive].
MW: Going back to square one, what was it about Wakanda Forever that first drew you to the project — whether it was being a fan of the first film, or it just seemed like a good opportunity with the character?
Livinalli: All of the above! Jumping into Marvel is like, wow. As you know, Marvel is such a huge, massive platform. And as an actor, you know, having that name on your resume, it's pretty cool, I'm not gonna lie! And yeah, the first one was so real. It was such a personal film... The first one came in and said, "This is diversity, this is us, this is what something different looks like." And you know, the world embraced it, as it should. And it was very exciting to see the direction that Ryan [Coogler] decided to go with the Talokans [in the sequel], with more diversity, so to speak. And it's just very exciting to be part of all of this.
Challenges of Action Films and Choosing Projects
MW: Would you be interested in doing another superhero movie down the line?
Livinalli: Yeah! I love the whole fiction, sci-fi, make-up, action scenes, you know? It really drives you. Don't get me wrong, they come with a lot of challenges and aches and bruises. But it's like, wow, once you're in there, in the moment, it's like you're 100 thousand percent alive. The adrenaline, it's just so intense.
MW: When choosing your projects, do you do tend to gravitate toward a particular genre?
Livinalli: There's no, like, formula, or a specific genre. It's like, you read the part, you read the character, and then it either speaks to you or it doesn't. And you know, that's happened to me with either drama or action. I can't explain it. It's just like, "you know when you know."
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever comes to us from Marvel Studios.