‘The Old Guard 2’ Is Creating New Pathways For Black Women In Action Movies

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The Old Guard 2 brings viewers back into the world of immortal warriors, including KiKi Layne’s character Nile, who is still discovering the extent of her powers. Layne and director Victoria Mahoney recently spoke about the new film and what it means to see Black women in the action-fantasy genre.

Mahoney, who takes over the franchise (which also stars Charlize Theron) from Gina Prince-Bythewood, told Blavity’s Shadow and Act Managing Editor Trey Mangum how she was excited to come aboard to learn more about Layne’s character’s journey.

“So for me, what was exciting was obviously, her character arc, her challenges in the first film…meeting her at that moment, in the apex moment of discovery. So I thought that was the charge. And then I come in and I’m meeting her with the audience at six months into her journey,” she said. “So then, who is she? What’s different about her? Does she embrace the ride she’s on? Is she still in conflict? Does she have internal pain, or is she finding a bit more resolution? How much has she grown as a fighter, as a thinker, as a warrior, as an immortal?”

“All those things were exciting and part of what we did to signify her growth was…that in the amount of time that goes by, we are meant to understand that she’s still learning and growing and training and she’s still absorbing and eager to learn,” she continued. “And then our duty was to make sure the audience understood that she has attributes she’s completely comfortable in and she’s part of the team and she’s brave.”

Why action roles like Nile matter for Layne

Layne also described how much the film means to her, saying, “You know what it means to play an action lead as a Black woman, and so the opportunity to do it again feels amazing. It’s also a unique challenge as an actor to return to a role after time away from it, so also, just as someone who loves the craft of acting, it was also very exciting for me to be challenged in that way.”

She also added that she is thrilled to pave a new path for Black female actors in action, saying, “That’s one of the reasons why I do it.”

Making room for more Black women heroes

“You know, I love acting, but I also, I’m grateful to be able to be the representation for a lot of people that watch films that I didn’t feel that I always saw growing up. And so that’s something that’s very important to me,” she said. “And so with the opportunity to be the lead of an action movie of this size, to work with Charlize [Theron] in the first and second film, to work with Uma [Thurman] in the second film—these are women who broke so many barriers in terms of how women [are viewed], encouraging and lifting me up as a fellow woman and supporting me as a Black woman in all of this. It really feels so special. It’s something that I’m super grateful to Gina, who first gave me the role. I’m grateful that she gave me that opportunity, especially in an industry that puts us in boxes.”

The Old Guard 2 is now streaming on Netflix.

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