Black Panther: Wakanda Forever's Dominique Thorne Felt Awe In Her First Scene With Angela Bassett

It's no secret that the original cast of 2018's "Black Panther" was filled with talent, having the late Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa at the helm, not to mention the supporting performances from the incomparable Angela Bassett as Queen Ramonda, and the likes of Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong'o as Nakia and Letitia Wright as Shuri. Michael B. Jordan provided what is arguably one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's greatest villains ever in Erik Killmonger, with Winston Duke's M'Baku, Daniel Kaluuya's W'Kabi, and Danai Gurira's Okoye playing more than essential roles in T'Challa's journey. "Captain America: Civil War" notably gave us only an introduction to T'Challa and his father T'Chaka (John Kani), so every other character and Wakanda itself was brand new in "Black Panther."

Although "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" returns to Wakanda and its people that fans have come to know and love, there are still important new characters to introduce. Aside from the movie's iconic antagonist, Namor (Tenoch Huerta), Marvel President Kevin Feige revealed in August of 2021 that Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne), a.k.a. Ironheart, would make her first appearance in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" (via ComicBook.com). This is ahead of her upcoming solo Disney+ series, which is said to premiere in the Fall of 2023 (via Marvel).

However, Riri's appearance in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" isn't just a cameo, she's essential to the plot. Thorne was therefore able to work directly alongside some of the main cast like Bassett, which according to the actor, left her in awe.

During her cover shoot interview with EBONY Magazine alongside much of the other main cast of "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," Dominique Thorne explained that acting alongside Angela Bassett left her a little starstruck. "My first scene I shot was with Miss Angela Bassett. I don't know if it's possible for you to set the caliber any higher," she explained. Working with Bassett also made the stakes clear. "It was a very real commitment to telling this story in the best way and executing things as they exist in Wakanda," she said. 

Aside from being excited to work with Bassett, Thorne also highlighted the impact of "Black Panther" in Black storytelling and beyond. "The original already established a safe haven for Black brilliance and Black excellence, and an elevated telling of Black royalty," she noted.

Thorne herself was awarded U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts in 2015 and has a short but impressive resume in the entertainment industry thus far. She first appeared as Sheila Hunt in "If Beale Street Could Talk" in 2018, went on to play Judy Harmon in "Judas and the Black Messiah," and now has a future set for herself with the MCU as Ironheart (via IMDb). Needless to say, we can expect great things from Thorne in the future.