Black Panther actress Letitia talks openly about her depression

Black Panther actress Letitia Wright has spoken openly about tackling her depression through her relationship with God.

Guyana-born British actress Letitia Wright has joined the ranks of stars who have been open about their fight with mental illness. Just because you are famous doesn’t mean illnesses like depression will not touch you. Many famous people have spoken about their struggle with depression, including actor and comedian Robin Williams and Supernatural star Jared Padalecki.

Wright, who plays STEM prodigy Shuri in the Marvel cinematic universe, explains in an interview with Teen Vogue that her depression was so bad that she took two years off from the industry to take care of her mental health.

“It was like this repetitive cycle that you can’t break out of,” she told Teen Vogue. “I did personally deal with it, and I just had to surrender to God, and I found that it really worked for me.”

During the “Black Panther” press tour, Wright has been candid about her mental health, and she is raising awareness of the stigma surrounding mental health, especially in the black community.

“We have to continue to talk about it and bring it straight to the forefront,” she said. “And that doesn’t only apply to the black community but different races as well.”

Wright also is open about the importance of her faith in her healing. “I speak boldly about depression because I struggled with it, and I tried to find different ways to heal, and it just didn’t work,” she told Teen Vogue. “I had to look deeper to find what could hold me, and I found that what held me together was my relationship with Jesus and my relationship with God.”

She told Teen Vogue that being open about her struggles and the importance of faith has brought rewards, as strangers have approached her to thank her for openness and honesty.

“Even to this day, I’ll be at events, and people will pull me to the side and tell me that they deal with the (situations) that I’ve dealt with,” she said. “And I’m grateful because I want people to find a way out.”