Two students from Yale School of Drama go to the movies.
Its May of 2012.
Thats not so long ago, but a great deal has changed since then.
Credit: Winston Duke: “Possessed by M’Baku in the makeup trailer … awkward."
We were both enamored with The Hulk.
We were all likeArrrgh!Every time Hulk got on the screen, Duke says.
And we had moments of, Do you think well ever be in something like this?
Kwaku Alston/©Marvel Studios 2018
That was before12 Years a Slave.
We were both just students dreaming.
Whats the future going to be like?
Winston Duke: “The Dora in all their Wakandan glory."
The future involved a journey to Wakanda for both of them.
InRyan Cooglers new film, Duke turns MBaku into a triple threat: Dangerous, sure.
But also charming and surprisingly noble.
Winston Duke: “A great day at Warrior Falls, challenging for the throne."
Hes not just this kind of obscure leader of a religious cult.
Hes the leader of one of the most powerful tribes within the entire nation.
He has the welfare of an entire people on his shoulders.
Film Frame/Marvel Studios
MBaku is also hilarious.
The Q&A includes some of his personal photos from the making of the movie.
Fair warning,there are some spoilers ahead.
Winston Duke: “Surrounded by my powerful women."
Only proceed if youve already made your visit to Wakanda.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: MBaku is one of the big surprises of the film.
Sometimes hes an antagonist, sometimes hes a hero.WINSTON DUKE:Hes quite beloved.
Hes not a villain.
He just has other views for how things can be one.
How are they going to do that?
TChaka (John Kani) is dead.
My people have to live, they got to survive.
He does this chant, a kind of grunt that silences people.
Hes frightening, and then immediately funny.
He knows how to weaponize his demeanor.Its super fun to play, and we created the entire culture.
The Jabari, similar to the Dora Milaje, believe in the oneness.
When he speaks, he speaks in a we, but he doesnt talk as a royal we.
When he says we, its really we, like me and my people.
That means a lot to him.
When he speaks of the Jabari, he speaks of them as one.
When they enter into spaces, they announce themselves.
Theyve very much like the gorilla.
He beats his chest and he comes in loud and in your face.
MBaku is a showman.He is.
Hes proud and hes big, and he is a showman.
Im not going to use some subversive tactic to take over the country the way other people could.
At the beginning of the film, he battles TChalla in ritual combat for the throne.
If he had won in that initial challenge, would MBaku have been a good king?
This story could be MBakus story if he won that battle.
If things change, this could be MBakus Wakanda.
Do you think he has any major flaws?
Something that mightnotmake him a great leader.I think like any great person he has a lot of flaws.
I think he probably has a savior complex.
Onlyhecan be the only person to save the whole country.
I think that idea also reflects the larger theme that no man is an island.
We cannot be that.
Thats the bigger theme of the movie.He lost in the first challenge.
It wasnt until he joins forces and all these things that they could all win.
It also helped that he was shown respect and shown trust.
That makes a person willing to trust in return.Exactly.
I think he also deeply respects TChalla.
Once we exchange blows, I know what kind of person you are.
To some degree, the entirety of Wakanda is a warrior society.
The women are warriors, the men are warriors.
Everyone comes away able.
You might look at Shuri and think shes quite cerebral, but shes a warrior.
Its an interesting phenomenon you bring up.
Thats exactly what he said, I owed you a great debt.
Would he have killed TChalla if he had won that challenge?
[Shakes head.]
I think as long as he won the battle, he would let him be okay.
He would have been merciful?He would have been merciful.
He was fighting in front of TChallas family.
I dont think hes the kind of guy that would have killed him at that moment there.
MBaku has his shield up so high that the audience doesnt know for sure.
I needed to know if I was just playing MBaku or if I was playing Man-Ape.
As an actor, it would dictate how I play that very differently.
To him, thats a source and place of pride.
Inspiration.Yeah, if he was Man-Ape, I felt that I could justify it.
Is there a real-world correlation to MBaku?
Either a historic figure or present-day figure?
Somebody whos a leader but it a bit of a separatist, too?
Interesting.The fact that [Amin] was very calm and charismatic, smiled a lot, laughed a lot.
Very performative in public and was liked by his people for a long time.
But he would do unsavory things to accomplish his own goals.
I wanted to capture a sense of deep weight because I wanted him to feel like a heavy man.
Im also too … Im right now, 250, 6-foot-5.
I wanted him to feel just energetically heavy.
With a large kinosphere.
Just the way youve changed your body shows that.
He fills every space hes in.Yeah.
This doesnt exactly fit, but I thought a little bit of the Amish.
The Jabari have a separate, traditional culture within a modern one.
But then, the Jabari dont lack technology.Yeah, theyre not against technology.
Their society is based around Jabari wood.
That makes it stronger.
[Laughs] You have this whole divergence of ideas.
Theyre quite technologically sophisticated but its based around wood.
Meanwhile, Wakanda proper is technologically advanced based around Vibranium.
Thats kind of where they get separated, but its still the same house.
As people discover MBaku, theyre also going to be discovering you.
Tell me about you.
Where did you grow up?
What was your family like?
Whats your whole life story?
[Laughs] My life story, man!
His name is Papa Bois.
He protects the forest and protects all natural things from human encroachment.
So you were a story listener.
Bollywood films are a big staple of the culture.
I grew up watching these big song-and-dance films, and action-packed movies.
I went to high school in Rochester in New York.
Youre brilliant, but we cant do it on this island.
Thats an impressive mother.She sold everything she had.
She sold her restaurant, and home, and everything she owned.
My father was not in the picture.
She was a single parent.
Shes actually here today.
I take her everywhere with me.
Shes a very supportive parent.
She loves being there and giving emotional support.
Thats like Angela Bassetts character, Ramonda, the Queen Mother.
Shes part of his council.
I have my own Wakandan mother, you know what I mean?
[Laughs] Shes just a fierce supporter and advocate for me.
Not one student production.
She was at every single thing over three years.
She came to everything, shes always been my No.
You were at Yale with Lupita, right?Lupita had one year ahead of me at Yale.
We actually saw the firstAvengerstogether.
Were all friends from there and then here and there we go see movies together and things like that.
Thats how it all started.
Sounds like destiny.Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Its a small world, you know what I mean?
Its a small world.
All the different connections.Its alotof connections.
My favorite play that I did was at Yale.
John Kani [who plays the late king TChaka] helped to write the play.
Yeah, its all a very small world.
I feel Im following my path.
Im living my truth and my path is storytelling.
Whats next for you?
Whats on the horizon?Right now its justAvengers: Infinity War.
Were going to see what comes of it.
