How Wakanda Forever's Dominique Thorne Became Ironheart

Swing that mallet down I think was

like a pretty iconic moment 'cause obviously

like you're starting to think about, you know

Ironman making his first suit in that very same style.

Hi, I'm Dominique Thorne and this is how

I became Iron Heart.

[upbeat music]

I originally auditioned for the role of Shuri

in Black Panther One back when I was a sophomore

in college I would be with my full academic schedule

be making at minimum like three, four audition tapes a week

just sending them out, went down to Atlanta

had an in-person like audition, camera test.

Final Round was in LA and that's where I met Ryan.

I met Chadwick and read with him and they had expressed

like how much they would like to work with me

but the only comment that they had really given me was

that I didn't have the experience that they knew I

would need to carry a film in that way.

Then got my credits up.

I did my first film ever which was

If Beale Street Could Talk

followed by Judas and the Black Messiah got a phone call

telling me that they're adapting the Ironheart comics and

that they are gonna do it through a TV series on Disney Plus

and he asked if I'd be interested in playing her.

There was no audition, it was the phone call so yeah

I said yes.

I remember hearing the news

about Chadwick's passing like later that evening

[people chanting]

And that sort of eclipses everything.

What does this mean for that cast

as not just people playing characters but

as individuals with real relationships and connections

and love for this person that is now passed

how do they stomach the news

of what the future is only to learn such a

like a heartbreaking curve ball like that?

How do you reckon with both

of those incredibly intense and incredibly valid feelings?

My sole focus truly was about how do I support my castmates.

You know, that's like one

of the first lessons that I was taught

as an actor is this is about the ensemble

it's about your scene partner, it's about the other person

in front of you and this was such a humbling way

to like go back to that lesson.

The first time I heard about the role of Riri Williams

I had to be a sophomore or a junior in college.

That iconic imagery of like Riri with the huge fro

and the helmet under her arm and the red crop top

that's the first time I heard about Iron Heart.

I think when I first heard about Riri being adapted

I was curious and also super hopeful to see how

they would take on telling this story.

That is very different from a lot

of the other stories that they've told.

I'm seeing like streets that look

like the street that I lived on.

I'm seeing like friends that look

like the friends that I have and it was exciting.

You go into it knowing that you're going to get the story

of a genius and not just a genius

but a super genius but it was so energizing

to me to see that brilliance wrapped up

in a packaging that was atypical from what we've seen.

I remember being told that water is a key element

in this film.

Although I was aware of how to swim, I had to

take a swim test to like graduate college so

I definitely could swim to survive.

I wanted to be way more comfortable in the water than I was.

I had like a couple classes a week just getting

on my breath hole

getting on like you know, proper technique, proper form

all of that and really training my lungs.

That was like the biggest thing for me.

I definitely wanted to be over prepared

or over competent to play somebody who was not competent

and wearing that suit for the first time.

That was like the greatest entry point into who Riri is

how she moves through the world, how she thinks

and so to see how she was able to create such a

such a smart design where I have full mobility

full range of motion, all my joints are free even

though this is like this huge bulky iron suit.

This suit was definitely one

of the first things that I was able to get a a very

clear understanding of, okay

like this is definitely helping to establish a bar.

This is the first thing that we're really getting to see

from her.

A lot of people compare it to football gear

but it definitely understanding like what is meant

in the comics when she talks about this suit of armor

around her heart because that's exactly what it feels like

super snug and fitted in a way that distracts

from how big and large and bulky it is.

It's almost like a second skin in a lot of ways

just a very heavy, very deadly second skin.

[lo-fi music]

It was a very like revitalizing first day I have to say

because between getting the news about playing this role

and arriving to set to shoot your first scene

so many things had happened and I felt

like I was doing so much other than acting, but I think

that by the time we got there to actually shoot this scene

and it's with Ms Bassett, you walk onto set

and you're in the throne room and so I'm truly feeling

like I'm in Wakanda for the first time.

You see like those iconic statues in the background.

You see the Dora Milage

in the foreground and you're walking the halls

and here comes Queen Ramondo with the crown

on looking as regal as ever and they say action

and she starts her lines and I'm like, oh yeah

this is what I came to do and working with someone

like Angela Bassett who is so present and so connected

what a blessing it was to have this person

in front of me be so grounded.

It teed me up.

I think to maintain that kind of presence for the rest

of the shoot, a normal day on Wakanda Forever would look

like to get picked up around four get to set.

Then the first stop, you know, trailer drop all your stuff.

Then hair and makeup, so usually

in makeup for about 40 minutes or so.

Then go over to hair and it really depends

for Riri because on Wakanda she had the slick back braids

which were like put into two styles

so let's assume it's a Monday.

Then that means

on the Friday I would've just gotten braided, so

by the time I get to hair this time I don't have much to do.

It's usually just to touch

up the edges and slick the hairs down, tie that up, go back

to the trailer, change clothes, maybe eat breakfast maybe

at this point it's about like seven or eight

or so, head rehearsal for a little bit

with Ryan and whoever else from the cast is in the scene.

Then after that rehearsal you have a rehearsal

that shows the crew what's going down

what we're about to do, head back to the trailer

change into the costume for the day

and then when they're ready for you

they knock on that door and travel you up to set.

Then the adventure begins.

A lot of the stunt training that I got was more so

for Ironheart than Wakanda forever, so I'd spend time there

either like learning fights or just running drills

or testing out whatever new wire gag they wanna do.

Maybe after that I'd have like a fitting or something

or I'd go back to the hair trailer and like do a hair test

for another style that we were working on,

filming in the suits, baby.

That's definitely a point where I was glad

that I took the time to get that endurance training

up because I later learned when filming Ironheart

everyone definitely waited until we wrapped

on Wakanda Forever to tell me how much the suit weighed

and now I am screaming it from the rooftops.

But for me, a lot

of the work that I did in the suit was primarily in wires.

Truly just a lot

of core work to be able to not only support yourself

but support like an additional like 52 pounds

on you before you can get into the wires you

you have to get rigged, so you have to put on a harness.

Most of my days I'm in the suit, I'm

in the wires and so I'd have like a base layer

of clothing on to just like workout pants and top.

Then I'd put the harness on

which would probably be like a little bottom half

and then a vest that they tighten up.

Then I'll put the character clothes

so the costume over that

so I'd like put those blue skinny jeans on, on top

the base layer and the harness and then the shirt on.

They'd cut holes in it so they could attach it

to the actual wires and then the suit goes

on over the costume, over the jerk vest

over the base layer and then that is what they

they try to find points to like loop the wires

onto those pick points through the suit now so

that I can actually like carry everything once

we're up in there.

So really it's a game of endurance.

Everything that I did in that montage

I learned that day like probably about 10

15 minutes before we started rolling.

That was a lot of fun.

Definitely I think one

of my happy places getting to like learn new things

learning the welding

or cutting the heart out was like a huge thing.

Even just to know that I'm putting as much effort

as I'm putting into it to like get it right

but thinking this is something that Riri just excels at

and does

and to be able to excel a little bit was like, okay

maybe I'm doing Riri proud,

when we meet Riri in Wakanda Forever.

I hope that folks remember that we're meeting a girl

like under duress, like these are extreme circumstances

and very much heightened situations

for someone who unlike let's say Okoye

or Shuri who are used to sort of otherworldly matters.

This is a girl from the south side of Chicago going

to school, trying to mind her business and get her degree.

Now she's being told

that she's responsible for this collision of two worlds.

Once we get to see her again in Iron Heart

we're getting to understand who Riri is when she's

with her family, who Riri is, if she's with her friends

we're getting to know the other layers

of her that also create this human person

young black girl in a supernatural circumstance

who also has a very natural supernatural gift.

I think that Chinaka Hodge and I, we come together

in Ironheart to show you a full-bodied human being.

[lo-fi music]

I'll say the biggest lesson that I've learned

since playing Riri Williams is that you only have to focus

on making the next best decision.

I've learned how to be an advocate for my character.

I've learned that advocating

for your character is probably like priority number one

like in my role or in my job as an actor

because when I'm in that head space of how can I do right

by this person that I'm supposed to be playing

it helps so much to just focus on seeking the truth

in each moment and just saying like one yes

at a time or one no at a time

and just being able to like get the most honest answer

out of what's in front of you in this moment.