Caribbean Beat — January/February 2018 (#149)

Own words
“ I’m
unfinished”
Tobago-born actor Winston Duke, appearing in the
upcoming Black Panther movie, on his love of stories, his
sense of being a work in process, and why returning to T&T
keeps him grounded — as told to Caroline Taylor
I
left Tobago when I was about ten
years old. My memories of Tobago
are of running up and down on the
beach, exploring my neighbourhood
with friends, and a strong community
of family. Family that always cooked
and laughed together, family that supported
each other, and came over any day they
chose to. I remember freshly baked bread
and sweet bread which my cousin, who
lived about ten miles and four villages away,
would have her teenage son deliver to us
via bicycle. I really remember being part
of something and somewhere — knowing
I belonged.
Something in particular which is etched
in my memory is my village’s annual
harvest festival. There was nothing, and
has been nothing in my life ever since,
that compared to that kind of familial
and community interaction — my entire
village cooking and opening their homes
for others, including complete strangers,
to freely eat, drink, dance, and converse.
Then I moved to Brooklyn, New York,
and the transition for me was incredibly
hard. It was a huge culture shock. I came
from an extended family in Tobago that
easily spans at least two hundred and fifty
people. So emigrating to a place where
it’s just your mother and sister and little
to no support systems was hard. I think I
retreated deeply within myself.
Brooklyn wasn’t a safe space for me. I
remember our first year living at our new
studio apartment, it was broken into and
all we had was stolen. I often wanted us
to come back home, but I also knew it just
was not the plan. The plan was to build —
to achieve — to gain something different
and valuable.
I wanted to become an actor because
I love stories and I wanted to be a part of
telling great stories to as many people as I
could. I figured out early on that I wanted
to be a part of stories that reflect the lives of
people who don’t always get to have a voice.
My love for storytelling started back
home in Tobago. I would listen to the
older people in my village tell folklore
stories about a gold-toothed donkey that
they believed was a person who could
shape-shift. Or of the douens which were
supposedly the souls of children who died
before they were christened. Or of this old
man, Papa Bois, who lived in the forest
and would protect it from hunters. I would
always ask for those stories to be told to
me every time older family and friends
dropped by our house or restaurant. And
let me tell you, they loved telling me those
stories as well. This, I think, created my
love for the genre of magical realism to
this day.
Landing the role of M’Baku in
Black Panther was incredible. I just
wanted to get in the room. I told my
representation to just get me an audition
and I’d do the rest. I loved [director] Ryan
Coogler’s work — I remember being
incredibly moved by Fruitvale Station and
knowing that’s the kind of storyteller I
wanted to work with one day. One with a
clear and distinct voice.
Being on set was something I never
experienced before. Working with my
own personal heroes in that superhero
setting was something poetic and epic.
To be able to meet and work alongside
Angela Bassett, Forest Whittaker, Martin
Freeman, and Chadwick Boseman, to
name a few of this incredible ensemble,
and not end up feeling out of place, was
something I had only ever dreamed of
before this movie. The knowledge that I
was part of something that would allow
people of colour all over the world to
see themselves represented was surreal.
What helped me to stay grounded was
being careful to constantly check in with
who M’Baku was — I wanted viewers
to see a strong and impassioned leader
willing to do whatever he has to for the
betterment of his people.
Hollywood is going through a period
where a lot of people are advocating for
inclusion and representation, and I think
that directly correlates to the opportunities
I am getting. Also, people are crying
out for transparency, equality, and equity,
so it’s a space that is empowering artists
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