Lupita Nyong’o reveals why speaking Spanish in ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ was a ‘gift’

Lupita Nyong’o was very excited about the opportunity to speak Spanish in the sequel to 2018’s Black Panther.

During Entertainment Weekly’s Around the Table video series, the Wakanda Forever star revealed that it was a lifelong dream that came true. The actress was joined by her costars and the film's director, Ryan Coogler.

“I was so excited about it,” said the actress. "It was just a straight gift. And I was very, very happy to do it... I've always wanted to work in Spanish and never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that that opportunity would come in Black Panther."

On a personal note, Nyong'o explained that the film "represents different sides of my heritage." The actress was born to Kenyan parents in Mexico City.

“Being born in Mexico and having that Mesoamerican culture represented, it's something that's very close to me," she added.

For context, EW detailed that Wakanda Forever introduces audiences not only to a new villain in the form of the charismatic Namor (played by Mexican actor Tenoch Huerta), but also the entire underwater civilization that he rules, Talokan, an Atantis-like lost city based on Aztec legend.

Lupita plays Nakia and it's not the first time her character has spoken multiple languages in a Marvel movie. In fact, the actress considers multilingualism to be one of the Wakandan spy's superpowers.

Elaborating on her character, Nakia, she said, “I always thought that was a very cool thing from the last movie that she spoke Korean, and I always thought that had never been seen before," Nyong'o said, referring to a scene in Black Panther that takes place in Busan, South Korea.

The actress received praise from Korean-speaking fans after the movie came out, with many complimenting her accent and pronunciation.