Not all blockbusters are built equally, which would explain why Black Panther has managed to stay front and center in the public’s hearts and minds two months removed from its big screen debut. Ryan Coogler’s superhero motion picture has earned more money than God at the box office during its ongoing theatrical run and it is still incredibly interesting (and important) to discuss even as another shiny Marvel offering looms on the horizon. The pull of Black Panther was on full display on the latest edition of The Graham Norton Show where supporting star Martin Freeman spoke glowingly about the film and shared the nickname he and the other white dude in the movie earned during the production.
Freeman recalled the energy and vibrancy of seeing Black Panther with a live crowd during his appearance on the BBC chat show, giving Coogler’s filmmaking abilities their proper due in the process. Norton shifted the conversation a tad towards Freeman’s minority status on the blockbuster’s official poster.
“And when you look at the poster, yourself and Andy Serkis slightly stand out,” noted Norton. “Apparently the cast had a name for the two of you.”
“We performed in The Hobbit together before, so we were known as the Tolkien White Guys,” explained Freeman.
That’s some lovely wordplay, isn’t it? Fellow guests Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Naomie Harris certainly think so. Speaking of which, both Harris and Johnson talked about that infamous Best Picture f*ck up that saw Harris’ film Moonlight eventually recieve the Oscar under rather messy circumstances. The Rock offered some insight into the expression he gave as the mistake was going down at 2017’s Academy Awards.
“Meryl [Streep] is composed,” remembered Johnson with laughter. “I honestly thought, ‘I’m seconds away from running up on stage and kicking somebody’s ass!'”