Dominique Thorne is the next Marvel actress to keep an eye out for this year. At only 23 years old, the New York City native has landed a major role in the upcoming Black Panther sequel (premiering in 2022).
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is already slated to be the biggest movie of the year, after the first movie, starring the late Chadwick Boseman, did so incredibly well at the box office. It earned a whopping $1.348 billion and told the story of T’Challa’s fight against Killmonger.
In the new movie, Thorne will be playing the role of Ironheart. Here’s what you should know about her, the upcoming Marvel movie, and the heroic character she’ll be playing.
Who is Dominique Thorne?
According to her official IMDb page, Dominique Thorne is a talented young actor who made her acting debut in If Beale Street Could Talk playing the part of Sheila Hunt. The feature film was created by writer-director Barry Jenkins, who’s known for being an Academy Award winner. For Thorne, this was a major movie to get a Hollywood head start in! In 2018, If Beale Street Could Talk premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and raked in a long list of awards and critical acclaim, from the NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Independent Motion Picture to the Independent Spirit Awards Best Feature.
Before her film debut, Thorne attended NYC’s professional performing arts high school and made herself known as an actor at a very young age by starring in multiple productions as a drama student. High school is such a difficult time for many youngsters because teenagers have a tendency to judge each other for every little thing. Thorne was willing to put herself out there on stage in front of her peers in order to further pursue her dreams of becoming a successful actor someday. It’s a good thing she stuck with her plan because she is now truly making a name for herself.
Another movie she’s part of is Judas and the Black Messiah, which premiered at the beginning of 2021 in February. She played the role of Judy Harmon in the story, which follows a man who is willing to infiltrate the Black Panther party after being offered a plea deal by the FBI. After Thorne establishes her role as Ironheart in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, she’ll be leading the way in a TV series that will be available to watch on Disney+. Marvel hasn’t released its official premiere date just yet, but we’re excited about every new piece of information that comes along.
How did Dominique Thorne land the role?
Dominic Thorne will be dominating the screen as Ironheart, but according to ScreenRant, she landed the role without even having to audition. She revealed, “I was at home in Delaware and I got a call asking if I would like to play this role. It was the best phone call I could have ever received. I was so shocked, in fact, that there was a considerable lag in the conversation! I was waiting for them to say, like, ‘Oh, we’ll send you the sides,’ or ‘Get your tape over to us.’ But there was none of that. It was just like, ‘Would you like to do this?‘ It was probably the most unique experience I’ve ever had because there was no audition at all.”
Although Thorne’s roles have been on the smaller side in the past, Disney and Marvel’s creators obviously were impressed enough to choose her as the one they wanted to move forward with as Ironheart.
The comic book character of Ironheart
The character of Ironheart, a.k.a. Riri Williams, is a marvel heroine who’s affiliated with Tony Stark, otherwise known as Iron Man. It’s pretty obvious they have a connection, seeing as they have such similar names. The early life of Riri Williams tells a big story leading to how she becomes a hero in her adulthood. When she was just five years old, her behavioral problems pushed her parents down the path of seeking professional help and guidance. Her parents wanted to support her emotionally but knew they didn’t have the resources to do it on their own.
Riri showcased high levels of intelligence, making the adults in her life wonder what exactly they should do with her to keep her on the right path. When she was just 13, her family ended up murdered in a drive-by shooting, leaving Riri alone in the world. She was able to produce her own super-suit using outdated Iron Man technology and her reverse engineering brilliance.
Once she was able to create her own prototype, she started intervening in criminal behavior and saving the day in the way any great vigilante would be willing to. The fact that Thorne is playing such a dynamic character is absolutely incredible since she’s following in the footsteps of other African-American actresses in the Marvel realm, including Letitia Wright and Zoe Saldana.