John Boyega And Thuso Mbedu Opened Up About Shooting “The Woman King” With Viola Davis
Last month, I attended a private screening of Viola Davis’s newest movie, The Woman King, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (The Old Guard, Love & Basketball). If you’ve seen the epic trailer, you know this film is centered on a badass, all-female group of warriors. However, what you likely don’t know is that The Woman King is inspired by real-life events.
Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of speaking with two of the film’s stars: John Boyega, who plays King Ghezo, and Thuso, who plays a warrior named Nawi. They shared what they learned from working alongside Viola, how the cast bonded on set, and what they hope this film will do for little Black and brown girls around the world. Read our interview ahead.
1. Hi, John and Thuso! I’m so excited to chat with you two about this film. To start, I’d love to know what was your first impression of each other when you met?
2. What was the most surprising thing you two learned about the Agojie warriors (aka the Dahomey Amazons) while preparing for this project?
3. What was the best lesson you both learned from watching Viola Davis on set?
4. Is there a line or moment in the film that was completely improvised?
5. How did the cast bond on set? Is there a behind-the-scenes bonding experience you’ll never forget?
6. Thuso, your bond with Lashana is so palpable onscreen. What was it like working so closely with her, especially filming that gut-wrenching scene that happens during a pivotal moment of the film?
TM: It was great because Lashana is someone that I could bounce ideas off of. We had a relationship that made us feel safe enough to take risks and try things out. There was a mutual understanding of supporting each other. If I’m not mistaken, Gina said it was a take that I did where my character is speaking of Lashana’s character, Izogie, that made her go back and switch some of the script to have Izogie and Nawi get closer throughout the movie. Their relationship could have been completely different had that moment not occurred earlier on. Lashana and I were constantly working to earn the chemistry that you see onscreen so that when [that pivotal scene] happens, it’s like, ‘WTF?’ We had to earn that.
7. Before the film’s release, I saw some critics questioning whether The Woman King would address the Kingdom of Dahomey’s involvement in the Atlantic slave trade under King Ghezo’s leadership. Having seen the film, I can say that it does tackle the elephant in the room, so to speak. John, what was your reaction to reading this historical context in the script?
JB: I think this film has a very nuanced take on that time in history. It’s a movie about self-reflection, it’s a movie about trauma, and it’s a movie about pain. As creators, we are here to shine a light on the realities of the world. We’re not necessarily always here to preach a very accepting message. Art can live in a moral or immoral space and could sometimes just be about shining a light on human nature, history, and the reality of that conflict. So, for me, [Gina and Dana Stevens] including that just shows that there is a way in which we can embrace stories that accept the fact that humanity is not perfect, while also being entertaining and something you can learn from.
[Editor’s note: Dana Stevens wrote the screenplay for The Woman King.]
8. Did either of you take anything from the set? Any props or costumes you got to keep as memorabilia?
TriStar Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection, / ©TriStar Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
TM: They gave me my machetes — like, the real heavy one! I have it in my apartment. They gave us a bracelet with a cowrie shell because the cowrie shell was so important to the Agojie women. They wore it on their uniform and it conveyed rank. They gifted it to us.
JB: I didn’t get anything, but I definitely wanted some stuff. Maybe I’ll ask for something now. [laughs]
9. Who is the woman king in your lives? Is there a woman who represents the same level of fearlessness and heart that General Nanisca has in the film?
TM: My older sister. She has been my fighter. We’ve been in the trenches together. She’s all I have in this world, literally, in every sense of the word. And she’s my champion, through and through.
JB: My mom [is my woman king]. Lord, where do I even start? I mean, she’s everything. Her support, her knowledge, and the fact that we have a great friendship.
10. I love that! OK, last question: What does it mean to be a part of a movie featuring brown-skinned women in combat, and what do you hope this film will do for little brown girls across the world who see themselves in it?
JB: It inspired me in so many ways. My number one goal is to create more opportunities for brown-skin girls. I feel like this is now an opportunity for production companies to be inspired. Hopefully, we make some money and the movie gets enough traction so that producers are inspired to purchase, develop, and green-light more stories like this. Also, hopefully, it inspires Hollywood to fund more projects that bring the diaspora together. We’re all big fans of each other, and we build great characters and great chemistry on set. Especially when there are actors from South Africa and Nigeria, the UK, and America. We all love to collaborate. This movie is really for the diaspora and people from different African backgrounds. Hopefully, that continues to be a thing.
TM: I know how proud my niece will be to see me onscreen. And I know that being in a movie like this means she can experience the world in a completely different way from how I had to experience the world growing up just because I was darker.
I have a light-skin sister, so I’m speaking from experience. She was the favored one. She was the one that people gravitated toward. She was the one who was told she was beautiful and that she was likable. I hadn’t done or made anything to earn the title of being the opposite of who she is; I was just existing as a dark-skin girl. My niece is also dark-skinned, and she’s always been told that she looks like me. For her to see something like The Woman King will expand who she can become, and that makes me very excited.