Elle Magazine’s November issue is their annual Women In Hollywood issue, which means multiple covers and multiple cover stories. Interestingly, three of the women from Black Panther are one of the covers: Lupita Nyong’o, Angela Bassett and Danai Gurira. Black Panther came out months ago, so why are they still promoting it? I’ll give you a hint: magazines usually devote their November and December covers to Oscar hopefuls. That’s right, the cast of Black Panther truly believes that their film should be a Best Picture contender. And they’re not wrong either. It *should* be a contender. But will it be? I don’t know. You can see Elle’s cover package for these ladies here. Some highlights:

Angela Bassett on the importance of women in Black Panther: “The women were integral to the storytelling and the wisdom that the main character possessed. It was really important in terms of the representation of black feminine strength.”

Angela Bassett on the impact of Black Panther: “We all felt the anticipation but had no idea how it would mushroom, or that it would be so global and smash whatever preconceived notions we’ve heard for decades—that stories like this about these people won’t travel as well or won’t generate financially on such a huge scale.”

Lupita Nyong’o on relating to her character, Nakia: “Nakia was a departure from the character you see in the comic books. She is an independent woman and a bit of a rebel but also a loyalist to her country. I am also someone who depends on my family and friends and feels a connection to my people, and maybe has a sense of responsibility to make them proud. So I really related to that balancing act within oneself.”

Danai Gurira on Wakanda as a society: “[It] was celebratory of everyone equally [regardless of gender]. You see that in my character. She’s able to excel.”

Lupita on how women get to save the day: “In our story, the emphasis is on many different women holding their own space,” says Nyong’o, describing the film as “a Marvel universe that is unapologetically black.”

[From Elle]

I remember, years ago, reading an explanation for why the phrase “unapologetically black” needs to be retired, and it’s interesting to see Lupita use it here. The explanation was basically that by saying anyone or anything is “unapologetically” black, there’s the implicit assumption that blackness is something for which an apology is normally needed. I know that’s not how Lupita is using it, but still. As for the importance of the women’s stories within Black Panther… I agree for the most part, although I do think that the women were used too much “in service” of the male characters, but that’s more of a superhero-film problem rather than a Black Panther-specific problem.

Photos courtesy of Katja Rahlwes for Elle Magazine, sent from promotional Elle email.