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AMC/Gene PageBy now, it’s well known that Marvel Studios’ Black Panther is not only a box office smash, but a cultural “moment,” with African American moviegoers showing up to screening after screening wearing fashions that showcase their heritage.
Two of those fans were The Walking Dead star Seth Gilliam and his son. The actor, who plays Father Gabriel on the hit show, tells ABC Radio, “I got some African beads and a wrist bracelet…And my son had his little Kente cloth as well and we went!”
Much of the movie, which features a nearly entirely black cast, and was directed by Ryan Coogler, who is African American, is set in the fictional African kingdom of Wakanda.
Gilliam tells ABC Radio, “I think it is a cultural phenomenon because it’s time. It’s time to see a different representation of a certain sect of people in these large action-adventure movies — you know, not just one or two characters…but…to be…populated completely throughout the movie.”
Gilliam joked that although The Walking Dead‘s Michonne, Danai Gurira, is in the movie, she wasn’t about to let slip any spoilers.
“Couldn’t get anything out of her about it,” he laughs. “Like, ‘So, but what does it look like? But, but, what does Michael B…? But, but: Danai! Danai! Denai!’ Nothing. She would deny. She would ‘Danai’ you, is what she would do!”
Gurira plays the fearsome Wakandan warrior Okoye in the film. Gilliam says, “Aside from being proud of her…I was excited by the performance that she gave…I think she’s really compelling to watch.”
Gilliam returns to AMC’s The Walking Dead this Sunday at 9 p.m. Eastern, for the series’ mid-season premiere.
Black Panther was released by Marvel Studios which, like ABC News, is owned by Disney.
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