Black Panther: Wakanda Forever director Ryan Coogler recently said he learned to swim in order to direct the film’s water scenes.
During an interview with Variety, Coogler revealed that he had to learn the valuable new skill in order to direct the hit sequel.
“I had to figure out how to swim so I could direct this movie,” he told the outlet.
The director also noted that African Americans were “raised” to “fear” water.
“A lot of us were raised to have a fear of water,” he said. “I had to figure out how to swim, so I could direct this movie. If the camera’s in the water and actors are in the water, I’ve got to be in there too.”
Coogler additionally shared that he was touched by his cast’s dedication to perfecting their underwater scenes.
“It’s a lot of Black and Mesoamerican folks in water in this movie… I was just impressed by how much stunt work they all did, how everybody showed up ready to go, ready to learn how to free dive,” he said.
Legendary actress Angela Bassett, who portrays T’Challa’s mother, Ramonda, even recalled the 36-year-old asking her if she could swim. To that inquiry, she responded, “a little bit.”
“You know, Black girls have this history with water and their hair. Some of us can’t swim all that well, because it’s going to mess up that press and curl. It’s a whole thing,” Bassett told Variety.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever officially hit theaters on Nov.11 and earned millions at the box office by Nov. 13–$180 million domestically and $330 million globally. As such, the film is now the highest-earning motion picture with a November release date. The record was previously held by The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013), which earned $158 million at the box office.
On Nov. 10, the NMAAHC shared that late beloved actor, Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther suit will be displayed in an upcoming exhibit.
