Entertainment
Wakanda Forever, the beauty secrets of the hairdresser
Marvel fans were able to follow the new adventures offered in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, hairstylist Camille Friend shared a few anecdotes and explained a few tidbits about the treatment of hair in this second film.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has finally hit theaters. Wakanda residents hailed King T’Challa, who died of an illness as happened to his interpreter Chadwick Boseman. The film is also a tribute in his honor. But on the beauty side, set hairstylist Camille Friend shared some behind-the-scenes secrets on how they worked given Chadwick Boseman’s absence and how she polished the look of the Wakandan characters.
According to the hairstylist, the first step was figuring out how to work with Princess Shuri and Queen Ramonda, the latter played by Angela Bassett. T’Challa’s sister and mother should have shaved their hair in mourning, but the barber simply chose to cut it short as a sign of respect. While Shuri sticks to dark hair, Ramonda offers a curly silver pixie cut.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, beauty works behind the scenes
Unlike them, Nakia played by Lupita Nyong’o moved to Haiti and has been living there for a few years. On the creative and aesthetic side, it was decided to give Nakia long hair in fiery red tones woven with Bantu knots. Unlike the first film, Camille Friend’s work required more research and thought. “This time it took a lot of factors to understand the design: we wanted to demonstrate the passage of time for each character.”
The hairstylist told WWD that when she joined the cast of the first film, she wouldn’t have believed such a hit was possible. Which was later repeated with the release of the sequel. But she made key decisions early on: for example, she explained that she would never use curling irons, but that she would use natural techniques. The expert has collaborated with realities such as My Black Is Beautiful and Gold Series to launch limited-edition Black Panther-themed hair products, available only in the United States at stores such as Target and Kroger.
For Camille Friend, it was essential to do justice to traditions and allow everyone to be represented by what was offered on the screen. On this subject, the hairdresser specified that he preferred the second film to the first. “I want people to know and feel that our hair is beautiful, in every way possible. It doesn’t matter if it’s all natural or the result of a wig: what matters is what you do and how you do it. do it and let you know you’re beautiful”.