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Black Panther star Winston Duke on ‘crazy surprises’ in Avengers: Doomsday, Dragon Ball Z and Japan

CNA Lifestyle caught up with the actor during his first visit to Japan, where he shared childhood memories of discovering anime and explained how voice acting has shaped his craft.

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Hazeeq Sukri

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I’ve interviewed many celebrities over the years, but few have matched Winston Duke’s sheer charisma. Towering at nearly two metres, the 39-year-old actor commands an overwhelming presence – one that remained palpable even as he sat across from me, excitedly talking about how he drew anime characters as a child.

Duke became a household name in 2018 with his breakout performance as the brash tribal leader M’Baku in Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther – his first-ever feature film role. The Tobagonian-American actor followed up that success with leading roles in films including Jordan Peele’s Us and the 2020 fantasy drama Nine Days.

Since then, Duke’s career has taken him around the world. But one destination had remained out of reach – until quite recently.

Earlier this year, the actor travelled to Japan for the Crunchyroll Anime Awards, where he presented the award for best animation alongside Indian actress Rashmika Mandanna. It marked Duke’s first visit to the country – a particularly fitting milestone for someone who has been a longtime anime fan.

Before the ceremony, he spoke to me about his time in Japan, his love for anime and Japanese culture, and, of course, Avengers: Doomsday.

You’ve been keeping busy. What have you been working on?

We just wrapped and are doing some additional photography for Avengers: Doomsday.

So what can you tell us about it?

(Laughs) No spoilers, no spoilers. It’s public [information]. So, [we] shot that, and we’re continuing to move forward inside the Marvel world. Excited for (pauses)…can’t say that either.

(Laughs) Excited for everything that’s coming. So that’s one thing.

I’ve been just embracing being this global citizen this year, so travelling a lot and spending a lot of time outside of the US and just loving what I’m seeing.

So even being here in Japan is just so incredible.

Being here, seeing all these spaces I’ve only seen in my favourite anime and content. Seeing it in person. Running across the street in Shibuya, at the crossing, with the crowds, it’s been very exciting.

So, what have you been doing here in your free time?

Free time exploration. So, like I said, my experience with Japanese culture has been mainly through anime and Japanese history.

Because I fell in love with Japanese history through watching anime.

So learning about the Warring States period, learning about the Edo period, the shogunates, and the transition to the Meiji period, all the way up to modern Japan and that modern Japanese identity.

So I’ve been in love with this culture and even finding my own personal heroes like Yasuke [the samurai of African origin who served Oda Nobunaga], and that narrative of Blackness through this history has been really, really interesting.

Just to be here, on the soil, to see and hear the language that has just been playing in some of the coolest anime in my home. It’s like, “Oh, I know what daijobu [It’s okay in Japanese] means. Baka yarou [Fool in Japanese!]”

Like, great, I’m hearing the words in person and I’m excited.

What was the first anime you watched?

Dragon Ball Z. I’m from Trinidad and Tobago, and within the first two to three months of being in [USA], we were staying in my aunt’s basement with my mother and sister, and I remember…[Dragon Ball Z] came on on a Sunday.

I went upstairs to the living room, and I saw this cartoon.

And I was like, “What is this?” 

It was just magic, and I was addicted to that show – so much so that by the time I got to sixth or seventh grade, Dragon Ball Z was everything.

We were all drawing Super Saiyans and sharing our drawings in school, “Who did it best?” Then, like, going home to Toonami on Cartoon Network and we were like, “Can’t miss it at 3.34pm.”

That’s been kind of my life since fifth grade. 

You’re in the animated film Slime. What was the voice acting process like compared to live-action acting?

I’ve done a good amount of voice acting. I’m also in this past season of [Prime Video series] Invincible. It’s been very cool to work with [series creator Robert] Kirkman, and the team there.

I’ve done a lot of narrative podcasts; I played Batman [in the Spotify podcast Batman Unburied].

So, to be honest with you, there have been a lot of opportunities [for voice acting].

The opportunity there is to not have to worry about what my body’s doing and how I look on camera and to place all of the focus into my voice.

And then just really honouring what is on the script about the character and building something that feels right.

Also trusting that they heard something in my voice that feels like the character already.

I don’t need to worry if I’m the right choice. The creators felt it when they heard me and, understand who I am as an artiste. So for me, it’s a lot of opportunity to no longer worry about my body.

To leave it at the door and just focus on what my voice can do.

It’s actually helped my on-camera, in-person acting because it’s just taught me that I don’t have to be stuck. Like, there’s a lot that my voice can do on its own. So it’s just given me a lot more nuance.

Has the experience given you a newfound appreciation of anime production?

I’ve always been a big supporter and appreciator of the artistry, writing and directing.

I think the directing for animation is a completely different skill set in some ways.

I have so much respect for all these creatives. It’s just different mediums, and each medium has opportunities.

I don’t like to look at things as their problems. I think there are just boundless opportunities for great storytelling, and I think that’s what this entire genre of storytelling has done so well.

It’s that they’ve embraced all these great opportunities – the fact that you’re as limited as your budget and your imagination: that’s anime.

And even inside the budget, you can do incredible things on a limited budget if you’re creative.

So… anything on Doomsday?

Can’t say anything, really.

(Guffaws) Because it could all be a spoiler. I can’t really tell you.

We all had fun. We had a lot of fun. Yeah, it was a good one, but you’re gonna enjoy it. It’s full of a lot of crazy surprises that no one sees coming. So that’s all I can tell you.

CNA Lifestyle was in Japan at the invitation of Crunchyroll.

Source: CNA/hq

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