MovieChat Forums > Black Panther (2018) Discussion > Forest Whitaker fake-out (SPOILERS)

Forest Whitaker fake-out (SPOILERS)

posted 7 years ago by ExTechOp (2770)
2 replies | jump to latest

Anyone else tickled by "James" turning out to be a young Zuri?

Maybe not. Guess it's because I've followed Forest Whitaker long enough to know how he looked in 1992 (pretty much exactly the way he looks now).

I did notice "James" had uneven eyes; guess that should've been a tip-off. The eye job looked like make-up, even in the opening scene.

Other than that, though, Denzel Whitaker looks nothing like Forest. I actually thought he'd turn out to be a younger version of Michael Jordan's Killmonger.

[–] DracTarashV2 (4493) 7 years ago

It did caught me by surprise for two reasons: the twist and the nonexistent resemblance to Whitaker. The latter wasn’t problematic for me, though.

For sure it takes some suspension of disbelief to buy the younger actor as a young Whitaker (especially since Whitaker has been in the biz for most of his life and is so recognizable), but getting the actor who fits the role is what counts in the end. Plus this surprising turn of events gave Zuri’s place in the film greater meaning.

[–] AP (5288) 7 years ago

Yeah, I noticed James had uneven eyes but for some reason, I didn’t expect him to be Forest Whitaker’s character.