Podcast Summary: How To Fail With Elizabeth Day

Episode: Letitia Wright – ‘I was bullied… now I’m Black Panther’
Host: Elizabeth Day
Guest: Letitia Wright
Date: October 1, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode features acclaimed actress Letitia Wright, best known for her role as Shuri in “Black Panther,” as she shares her journey through three formative failures and the lessons they taught her. The conversation covers Letitia’s upbringing in Guyana and London, her early challenges in acting, navigating online bullying, the complexities of fame, directing her first short film, and the impact of grief in her life. Letitia’s candor offers insight into resilience, self-acceptance, and the enduring importance of purpose.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Childhood & Early Passions (04:05 – 10:00)

• Growing Up in Guyana and Adjusting to London
  • Letitia describes her idyllic, simple childhood in rural Guyana, caring for animals and living close to nature, contrasted with her sudden immersion in cold, bustling London at age eight. The need to quickly adapt sparked her early “actor’s” skills:

    “I had to adapt. At school, people would...be looking at my accent… so they can understand me. I adapted very quickly and then I just accepted like, yeah, this is my new life.” (05:00)

• Early Drive for Acting
  • Inspired by leading actresses like Naomie Harris and Keke Palmer, Letitia would take headshot selfies in her bathroom and deliver them to casting agents as a teen. She reenacted scenes from films, once accidentally recording over her cousin’s wedding video—an early bittersweet sacrifice for her passion:

    “I sat down, and it was just that moment of like, Tish, you have to make it…because you just recorded over your cousin's wedding...” (07:00)

Meaningful Work and the “Superwoman” Schema (08:39 – 10:00)

• Letitia discusses her latest stage play, not yout Superwoman, which examines the generational struggles and pressures black women face to always be strong, never falter, and never take time to heal.

  “That notion of superwoman schema…we can't stay down for too long. We have to pick ourselves up and keep going. And we're never allowed a break in society. To feel, to heal, to hurt, to experience.” (09:15)

The Breakthrough: Black Panther (10:00 – 12:58)

• Landing the Role & Dealing with Imposter Syndrome
  • Letitia was wary of the Marvel machine, purposely not researching the full cast or even which film she was auditioning for, focusing solely on the character. She recalls extreme anxiety before the audition with Chadwick Boseman:

    “I was this close to not going on that plane to do that screen test… because of the negative thoughts. And I just had to just be brave and say, this is my moment. Whatever happens... just focus on this part.” (11:10)

  • On the significance:

    “Everything I prayed about, everything I wanted to be, everything I wanted to manifest in terms of purpose, is literally on that screen.” (12:45)

Three Failures That Shaped Letitia Wright

1. Bombed Audition at 17 (13:23 – 18:58)

• The Experience:
  Nerves overcame her during a high-stakes audition, resulting in a self-described “first big failure” that left her questioning her future in acting.
• Coping & Lesson:
  Letitia internalized the failure but eventually saw it as a test of character:

  “Sometimes things happen that you may want, you know, so badly... it tests your character. Like, who will you be after this point?... Will you accept that failure... or will you just let it shape you and make you better?” (15:10)

• On Support:
  Her family encouraged her, but the battle was internal. She notes this was the start of the mindset struggles that would later lead to depression.

  “Though I had the support, it was also a mental and a personal and internal battle that I had to conquer for myself.” (16:34)

• The Struggle with Acceptance:
  Early on, Letitia grappled with wanting acceptance from others, and learning not to let rejection define her self-worth.

2. Online Bullying after Top Boy (25:32 – 33:21)

• The Experience:
  At 18, after “Top Boy” aired, Letitia was targeted by brutal online bullying focusing on her appearance and body, not her acting.

  “For me, it felt like the whole of London, all the young people in London, gathered on the Internet and trolled me.” (26:25)

  • The comments triggered profound pain and self-doubt:

    “At 18, when you see these things, you instantly believe them. You instantly go into a hole… I locked myself into my room for like a week. And I'd refused to go to college. I didn't want to go, so I stayed in my room. I would cry, I wouldn't eat.” (27:00)

• Navigating the Pain:
  Public success felt tainted by private suffering. The bullying even continued at college.

  “I remember, like, getting my lunch and having nowhere to sit… I'd go to the drama room... sit by myself… like, crying and being like, this is mad. Like, this is my dream, so why do I feel so bad?” (30:00)

• The Turning Point:
  Letitia realized she had to do the work for herself, irrespective of others’ opinions.

  “No matter what anyone says about me... I have to do this for me. Because this is my dream, this is my talent. This is something God has given to me, and I have to see it through.” (31:30)

• Link to Depression:
  Letitia identifies these experiences as seeds that compounded into early-twenties depression.

  “It was just like this halting moment of, like, you need to stop, because all of these experiences have fed into this lie that this defines you, and you're not where you want to be, and your career is not where you need it to be. So you failed.” (34:10)

3. Directing Debut & “Highway to the Moon” (40:35 – 48:19)

• The Experience: Letitia made her short film inspired by the tragic loss of her friend’s brother. Despite her passion, the production was marred by setbacks—people leaving, technical issues, and self-doubt.

  “Every step of the way, it just felt like something was just trying to knock me off this path...I immediately underestimated myself...there was an imposter syndrome happening.” (41:05) “I really felt like I failed because I was like, it doesn't make sense why everyone's just leaving. Did I make a bad film? I surely probably did.” (45:38)

• Resilience and Resolution:
  Letitia nearly shelved the film, but kept submitting it—small acts of protest against negative thoughts. It was ultimately accepted into major festivals, celebrated by colleagues, and recognized for its beauty and assurance.

  “Every time you did that, something greater was on the other side… So there’s a pattern here. Life is not always going to be a great, easy, smooth experience. There’s going to be bumps in the road. But on the other side of that, something’s awaiting you, and you just don’t know until you keep going.” (47:12)

Deeper Themes

The Double-Edged Sword of Fame (19:10 – 23:32)

• Letitia discusses the responsibilities and pressures of fame, and the importance of maintaining her private life and integrity.
  • On surreal celebrity encounters:

    “Naomie Harris… I wanted her to be my mentor…She’s now like a big sister to me. Meeting Denzel was, like, really cool. I think that’s my favorite one. Denzel Washington.” (20:22)

  • Denzel’s prescient encouragement:

    “He also called me out. He was like, you're gonna be a director. And I was like, what the heck?… He’s just like, yeah, you look like you’re going to direct.” (22:14)

Processing Grief & Finding Purpose (48:48 – 53:07)

• Letitia describes processing the loss of Chadwick Boseman (“my brother”) and her own aunt, and how art has become a vessel for healing and honoring the departed.

  “…it’s a different type of hurt. It’s a different type of pain. So as the years go by, it gets a little bit gentler on the heart, but it attacks you in different ways. I have a love hate relationship with grief.” (49:48)

• Elizabeth’s homage:

  “The stories you tell and the meaning you bring to the world are what keep everything alive…It’s the ultimate act of bringing meaning to that passing.” (52:16)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Letitia on self-acceptance:

  “That North Star remains the same… I absolutely still love [the industry], but I still keep it to a distance in terms of the potential it has to influence me in the wrong way.” (38:40)

• On failure as a pattern for growth:

  “Every time you said no, whether it’s by forward movement of, like, submissions…That's like a little protest against the negative thoughts. Every time you did that, something greater was on the other side.” (47:18)

• Elizabeth Day on why Letitia’s story matters:

  “The stories you tell and the meaning you bring to the world are what keep everything alive. They're the stories that help us to see ourselves and to process our grief. It's the ultimate act of generosity.” (52:16)

Lighter Moments (53:11 – Episode End)

• Letitia’s Feel-Good Comfort Watches:
  • Everybody Hates Chris (TV)
  • Juno (Movie)
• Not-so-feel-good “Escape” Pick:

  “Lovely Bones is your feel good movie?” (Elizabeth, 53:47)
  “Feel good. Damn it. You said escape.” (Letitia, 53:49)

• Elizabeth’s Closing Praise:

  “You are completely magnificent. Thank you. And I am so grateful that a legit Marvel superhero has graced the How To Fail studio…” (54:04)

Summary Table: Key Failures & Lessons

| Failure | Response | Lesson Learned | |--------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------| | Audition bomb at 17 | Overcame self-doubt & persisted | Rejection doesn’t define you; let failures make you better | | Online bullying after Top Boy | Withdrew, then rebuilt self-worth | Must do it for yourself—not for others’ approval | | Losing faith during first short film (Highway to the Moon) | Persisted through obstacles & burnout | On the other side of setbacks is often unexpected triumph |

Final Reflections

Letitia Wright’s journey is a testament to embracing vulnerability, learning from setbacks, and using pain as fuel for purpose and creative expression. Her openness about struggle and growth offers hope and solidarity to listeners at any stage of their own journey.

Listen to this episode for a full, heartfelt account of resilience and authenticity in creative life.