我的日常工作是产生一个白天说话show. Lainey is one of the co-hosts of that show. I am our celebrity and entertainment producer so crafting segments featuring celebrities, pre-interviewing them and talking to them is my job. I do it all the time. I scream at all of you in all caps a lot and I don’t hide how much of a fan girl I am at my core but at work, I usually keep my chill (Taika Waititiwas the exception). I don’t get star-struck often. Yesterday, I produced Danai Gurira. I can’t even type that without freaking out a little bit inside. I wasn’t star-struck. I was awe-struck. We all were. This woman is so smart, funny, friendly and so stunning in person, it honestly felt like meeting royalty. (She was also wearing the most incredible blazer that I need in my life ASAP.)
If you watchThe Walking Dead,you know that Michonne is a f-cking badass and the best thing about that show. Danai Gurira’s Okoye and the Dora Milaje are one of the greatest things aboutBlack Panther.Okoye如此迷人，您不希望她的场景结束。她是一支力量。Dora Milaje与我在屏幕上见过的任何东西都不一样。这是Danai Gurira在社交上所说的关于Okoye对她意味着什么的社交活动：
“这确实说明了这个想法，您可以与女性气质合作。那里没有妥协，您无需妥协两侧。”
Ferocity and femininity are not mutually exclusive. How often are we told the opposite? How often are we told to calm down, or stay quiet or that weeat our f-cking chips too loud？这么长时间以来，女性也是要屈服的。好吧，Dora Milaje在那些日子里说“ F-CK您”。多拉·米拉杰（Dora Milaje）是美丽而性感的感情对象，但他们还将从任何试图走向自己的国家的人中踢出Sh-t。他们是士兵。他们是战士。他们是老板。F-CK，只是想着它们，我会变得情绪激动。
Danai also talked about “starting a revolution” with her shaved head. How often have we been told that long hair is integral to femininity? Danai said that a Marvel exec’s daughter told her she wanted to shave her head after seeingBlack Panther。这是那部电影的力量。我也想开始一场革命，并在看到它之后剃光头。我想看Black Pantherbefore every big meeting and moment of my life.Black Panthergives you the confidence of 10,000 mediocre white men. Meeting and talking toDanai Gurirahas the same affect.
We also asked her about being a playwright (oh yeah, don’t sleep on the fact that she’s also a TONY NOMINATED playwright, no big deal) and her mission to tell stories from an African female perspective. Danai was born in Iowa but grew up in Zimbabwe. Especially now, she says telling those stories is imperative.
“To me, it’s always been important but yes, indeed, it’s even more important to get unheard voices out there to counter whatever is being said that doesn’t make any sense to what’s true… I kind of felt like a mad scientist in the beginning because there was no one out there telling stories from the African female perspective – the idea that “does that work? Will people relate to that?” I believed they would. All you have to do is actually allow the characters to have full dimension and to steer a full, powerful, real human narrative and people will respond… It just counters any ignorance that’s uttered and that’s really what it is – ignorance.”
PREACH, DANAI. #WhatBlackPantherMeansToMe was trending on Twitter yesterday. Black Twitter was sharing stories of isolation, yearning for representation and celebrating blackness. Everything Danai says here is whyBlack Panthermeans so much. It is a counter to all the ignorance out there but it’s also a vehicle for “full, powerful, real human narratives” starring African black people.Black Pantheris a great film. I wish we could just leave it at that. But I won’t stop pointing out that it means so much more than every other Marvel superhero movie. Until we see the real, three-dimensional human narratives of black people consistently on screen, I’m going to keep shouting about how important it is to see these movies and to support artists like Danai Gurira.
I did not cry in front of Danai Gurira. I may be a nerdy kid at heart but I’m still a professional, guys. I did, however, say goodbye to her by yelling “Wakanda Forever!” and she responded with “Wakanda Forever!” in her Okoye voice and I was so overcome with joy, I went back to my desk and wept into my keyboard.
You can watch Danai Gurira’s full segment on The Socialhere。
这是多伦多首映的丹奈Black Panther昨夜。
