Trivia / The Woman King

• Actor-Inspired Element: Viola Davis took inspiration from boxer Claressa Shields in terms of stance.
• Awesome, Dear Boy:
  • Viola Davis signed on because, at 56, she had never gotten the chance to play a warrior before.
  • John Boyega admitted that one of his motivations for becoming part of this film was that it would be the closest he would get to being in a Black Panther movie without having to commit to a franchise.
• Dawson Casting: Nawi is 19 when she joins the Agojie, and they say she looks even younger. Thuso Mbedu was 30 when it was announced that she would star in the film, and 31 by the time the film actually released.
• Dear Negative Reader: The film has been criticized by some audience members, journalists and historians for historical revisionism. However, the creators of the movie have pushed back against much of this criticism, claiming that many of the available sources about the Dahomey came from anti-abolitionist literature that tried to justify the continuation of slavery by demonizing Africans, making them no more reputable than the film itself for giving an "accurate" depiction of the culture.
• Dyeing for Your Art: The cast trained for four months, with days involving 90 minutes of weight lifting and then nearly four hours of fight training
• Fake Nationality: All of the main actors portraying the Dahomey are either African-American, South African, Afro-Caribbean, or of Nigerian descent (except Jimmy Odukoya, who portrays Oba Ade). None of them have Benin nationality or known ancestry.
• Saved from Development Hell: The film was first pitched in 2016, but faced studios trying to cast lighter-skinned actresses to make it more marketable. After the success of Black Panther (2018), they had a slightly easier time getting investment, but it didn't see release until 2022.
• What Could Have Been: Lupita Nyong'O was originally announced as playing Nawi, but the role was eventually played by Thuso Mbedu when rewrites made the character younger.

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