Tobagonian actor, Winston Duke, well known for his role as M’Baku in the Marvel Cinematic Universe movie ‘Black Panther’ recently appeared on the ‘Late Night with Stephen Colbert’ show where he shared what it was like growing up in Trinidad and Tobago while promoting his new movie ‘Nine Days’.

‘Nine Days’, an American supernatural drama film based on the true story of the suicide of director Edson Oda’s uncle, was written and directed by Edson Oda and stars Winston Duke, Zazie Beetz, Benedict Wong, Tony Hale, Bill Skarsgård, David Rysdahl, and Arianna Ortiz. Spike Jonze also serves as an executive producer.

In the film, a man (Duke) interviews five unborn souls to determine which one can be given life on Earth. While explaining to the host the significance and similarities of the nine days in Trinbagonian culture, Duke had this to share:

“In my culture in Trinidad and Tobago, it is believed that when a loved one dies or someone close to you dies it takes them nine days for that spirit to move on. So within that nine days, they will visit you in a dream, they will say goodbye, they will do something and that will be their way of moving on and detaching from this plane of existence.”

Duke also compared life on the beautiful twin islands to well-known soap operas like ‘The Young and the Restless, ‘The Bold and Beautiful’, ‘Santa Barbara’ and ‘General Hospital. See the full interview below!

‘Nine Days’ is now showing in US theatres. The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 27, 2020, and was theatrically released by Sony Pictures Classics in the United States on July 30, 2021.

We’ll love to hear your thoughts on Duke’s comparison of Trinbagonian culture to soap operas, so feel free to share in the comments below!