How Playing Namora in ‘Black Panther’ Empowered Mabel Cadena
Story written by Marivette Navarrete
Mabel Cadena for Elle Magazine Mexico / Photo by Enrique Leyva via Instagram
I need to represent, with dignity, Namora – for my people, for women, for Latin American women around the world.
Mabel Cadena is a rising talent, and her recent role as Namora in Disney’s and Marvel Studios’ highly acclaimed film, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, is sure to make a big impact.
The Mexican actress began her acting training at the CasAzul School of Performing and Audiovisual Arts, where while studying, she began auditioning for roles that led her to star in the Netflix series “Monarca,” “Dance of the 41,” and “Dos Veces Tú.” But her performance as Namora in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – now available on Digital and 4K Ultra HD™, Blu-ray™, and DVD – is gaining her recognition.
Namora is a fierce Talokanil warrior who is second in command and cousin to the sequel’s main villain, Namor (played by Tenoch Huerta). As a Talokanil warrior, Namora has superhuman fighting abilities like strength and speed. This role marks Mabel's biggest break in Hollywood and has expressed her excitement and honor in bringing Namora to life on the big screen.
In our interview with Mabel, she opens up about what attracted her to the character of Namora, shares her experience working on the movie, and reflects on how playing Namora has empowered her as a Latina actress. Mabel also shares her hopes for this role's impact on Latino representation in Hollywood and the significance of representation in the film industry.
The following is Mabel’s Q&A with The Mujerista. Answers have been translated and edited for length and clarity.
(M) Marivette for The Mujerista
(MC) Mabel Cadena
TM: It is such an honor! I am a huge fan of yours, and I just wanted to tell you how incredible it was to see you on the big screen playing a superhero as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So thank you for what you're doing for representation.
Describe your character of Namora using three words.
MC: Oh my God. Three… she's loyal. A warrior and fierce.
TM: I love it. I, I completely agree. Can you tell us what attracted you to the character of Namora and what was your approach to bringing her to life on the screen?
MC: Oh, it's very interesting. In the beginning, when I first received the call, “Hey, you wanna play Namora?” To me, it was like, “Okay, nice. Who is Namora?” And Ryan [Coogler - writer and director of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever] started sharing with me some things about the original character. And when I saw [the original character] for the first time, that character, I didn't feel some connection with the character because we are completely different. My face, my skin color, my everything is different from the character.
So, to me, it was like, okay, I need to find the way to marry this Namora with this new Namora. So, I found some similarities with the first Namora. She's a warrior. She is fierce. She’s a superhero, a beautiful girl. And I'm a beautiful girl, and I'm fierce. I'm a warrior.
So to me, understanding Namora and deciding that she is the right hand to name Namor, protector of their people, protector of their land, protector of their roots, of their story was the most important thing. So I, I start with that.
TM: How did you prepare for the role? It's a very physically demanding role. So, what was your experience working with the stunt and special effects team? You had to learn a couple of new languages and train in just a few months. What was that experience?
MC: I loved the action scenes! So, I spent one-year training for the character. First, I started with the stunts, then the [water] tanks, started my English classes, and then my Mayan language class.
I would spend Monday to Sunday training for the character – for a year. But it was really, really deep this training for this character. We had very difficult underwater training, and I had to learn to let go of control to not die. I think one of the things my trainer told me was, "Stop thinking. Stop thinking about whether you're going to die or not. When you overcome the sensation from your body of "I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I’m going to die," you'll be on the other side. When I let go, that’s when I was able to be underwater for six minutes.
TM: Wow!
TM: How did playing Namora empower you as a Latina, and what impact do you hope your role in Black Panther will have on Latino representation? Not just in the superhero genre, but also in Hollywood at large?
MC: I never, I never dreamed of playing this role. I never dreamed [of being] part of this industry, on this side.
I worked very, very hard to make a career in Mexico, and I, I'm very proud about that. But, now, to me, it's like, oh my God, really? I'm Mexican and this Latin American woman. And now I’m [also] Namora, so I had to talk a lot with my little (inner) Mabel.
I just had to tell my little Mabel I was sorry. Because maybe you [gave] up some things. Maybe you, you never [thought] to be in this, in this country, to be in a movie like this. Maybe I never dreamed [of speaking] another language. And at the beginning, when I received the call, I didn't speak English. So right now, I'm trying to speak a little bit more.
But, it was really hard for me to realize…I have a lot of things in my life, but when I received this opportunity, to me it was like, oh my God, I need to be ready. Because I need to represent, with dignity, Namora – for my people, for women, for Latin American women around the world. Because this opportunity right now to me it represents a lot of work behind me from a lot of women who worked for these opportunities [that are now] open for my generation and the generations to come. So I hope, a little bit, this is a step for the generations to come to embrace our roots, our heritage, our faces, our different faces.
So I think Black Panther to me represents a lot. It's not just a superhero movie to me. It's like, oh my God, that's my name, that's my face, that's my body. And I can't believe I'm a superhero. I'm a warrior. I'm a princess. I'm different things in the movie, and I'm Mexican. And, yes, that's very important to me because I never expect for that reason, and other reasons, to represent a superhero in a movie like this.
TM: Gracias, Mabel. As a Nicaraguan American, seeing a Mexican, Central American warrior on the big screen was beautiful and emotional. Thank you!
