Letitia Wright - ‘I was bullied… now I’m Black Panther’
How To Fail With Elizabeth Day
Family Support and Internal Battle with Perfectionism
Letitia reflects on parental encouragement, her overachiever tendencies, and how early rejection seeded long-term mental struggles.
You’ll know Letitia Wright from her standout roles in Black Panther, Wakanda Forever, Black Mirror and Top Boy. She won the BAFTA Rising Star award in 2019 and is currently starring in Not Your Superwoman at The Bush Theatre, London.
But Letitia’s journey hasn’t always been lined with red carpets. Born in Guyana and raised in Tottenham, North London, she’s faced her share of challenges including depression, anxiety and experiencing the pressure to fit in from a young age. In this episode, Letitia opens up about dealing with online bullying, rejection and the lessons she’s learned along the way.
She speaks powerfully about the importance of faith, friendship and resilience, sharing how those pillars helped shape the person she is today.
✨ IN THIS EPISODE:
02:36 Childhood Memories
11:44 Audition Failures
22:20 Online Bullying and Its Impact
24:40 Struggles with Acting Roles
25:53 Dealing with Negative Thoughts
26:51 Overcoming College Torment
28:59 Finding Purpose in Acting
30:12 Battling Depression
35:41 Directing Debut Challenges
43:36 Processing Grief and Moving Forward
💬 QUOTES TO REMEMBER:
"I had to decide: no matter what anyone says about me, whether they like something I do or whether they don’t, 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."
“When it doesn’t go your way it tests your character. Who will you be after that point?”
“Something greater is on the other side of failure.”
🔗 LINKS + MENTIONS:
Letitia is starring in Not Your Superwoman at The Bush Theatre: https://www.bushtheatre.co.uk/event/not-your-superwoman/
Elizabeth’s Substack: https://theelizabethday.substack.com/
Join the How To Fail community: https://howtofail.supportingcast.fm/#content
📚 WANT MORE?
Matt Haig - on surviving depression and managing his own mental health: https://link.chtbl.com/u2XVtjE7
Dr Alex George - on grief, family and identity issues: https://link.chtbl.com/CcYCGIec
Simu Liu - Letitia’s fellow Marvel superhero spills the beans: https://link.chtbl.com/YNXXD65e
💌 LOVE THIS EPISODE?
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👋 Follow How To Fail & Elizabeth:
Instagram: @elizabday
TikTok: @howtofailpod
Podcast Instagram: @howtofailpod
Website: www.elizabethday.org
Substack: https://theelizabethday.substack.com/
Elizabeth and Letitia answer YOUR questions in our subscriber series, Failing with Friends. Join our community of subscribers here: howtofailpod.com
Have a failure you’re trying to work through for Elizabeth to discuss? Click here to get in touch: howtofailpod.com
Production & Post Production Coordinator: Eric Ryan
Sound Engineer: Matias Torres
Assistant Producer: Suhaar Ali
Senior Producer: Hannah Talbot
Executive Producer: Carly Maile
How to Fail is an Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Production.
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