Winston Duke, the breakout star of Marvel’s ‘Black Panther’ was welcomed by warm cheers and screams from the crowd when he walked inside our penthouse studio. DJ Laz and Janetzy set the tone for HITS Live when they praised the man who brought M’Baku to life. The crowd was mixed with comic book fans, admirers of the film, and of course the lovely ladies who adore him.

“This is like having M’Baku in your living room,” Laz exclaimed as he kicked off the show.

Duke arrived at the station looking crispy clean with tan dockers and a white polo covered in a brown jacket. After some small talk, the DJ Laz Morning Show hosts began by asking him about his first major film role in ‘Black Panther’ and how he felt about the international success of the film. He also dives into how the movie will impact the culture of Black cinema for years to come.

“You never know how anything is going to manifest,” Duke said. “We just knew the film would mean a lot to a lot of people. We knew that people have been asking for this movie, and asking not just for this movie but content like it. Content where they can see themselves, and not in that thing that’s become far too familiar.”

Duke also opened up about his Trinidadian heritage and explained his excitement about his upcoming Funk Pop toy coming out soon. With the help of Miss Bryan, Duke also took questions from the crowd, told them how he feels about the M’Baku Challenge on social media, and talked about his new clothing line, Wakanda Forever. Duke explained that the proceeds from his new line of apparel will go towards the American Diabetes Association, which made Janetzy very happy.

“For me, it holds a special place in my heart,” Duke said. “Diabetes runs aggressively in my family. Almost all of my family has diabetes and its something I’m struggling to not get. I’ve been pre-diabetic before and fought my way back. Just to be helping a lot of people get treatment and put the word out there, it means so much to me.”

If you missed HITS Live starring Winston Duke, catch all the exclusive photos here then watch the full interview below.