{"id":1602,"date":"2025-07-10T22:38:04","date_gmt":"2025-07-10T22:38:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.machimp.com\/?p=1602"},"modified":"2025-07-12T14:42:47","modified_gmt":"2025-07-12T14:42:47","slug":"kiki-layne-is-her-own-secret-weapon-in-netflixs-the-old-guard-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.machimp.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/10\/kiki-layne-is-her-own-secret-weapon-in-netflixs-the-old-guard-2\/","title":{"rendered":"KiKi Layne Is Her Own Secret Weapon In Netflix\u2019s The Old Guard 2"},"content":{"rendered":"
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KiKi Layne<\/a> was ready to rock a braided wig over her locs for her latest project, The Old Guard 2.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

In the first film, released in July 2020, the 33-year-old actor wore cornrows. Since then, however, she\u2019s decided to loc her hair after hesitating on the decision for years, fearing it might limit her from getting work. However, the pandemic shifted her mindset, making her realize that life is too short not to do what she wants. After learning about the sequel, Layne told co-star Charlize Theron<\/a> that she planned to cover up her locs during filming. Theron convinced her otherwise.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cShe just looked at me like, \u2018What? No, wear your hair like that. It\u2019s gorgeous,\u2019\u201d Layne recalled during a Zoom interview. \u201cI\u2019m grateful to her for being an advocate for me in a moment where I didn\u2019t even realize that I needed an advocate, that I didn\u2019t even realize that I was trying to hide some part of myself. And I\u2019m grateful to have been able to do that [in this film.]\u201d<\/p>\n

The Cincinnati native\u2019s locs feel aligned with her character\u2019s journey in this sequel. Six months after learning she\u2019s immortal, Nile Freeman, played by Layne, steps up to lead and protect both her team and humanity. She fights alongside a team of fellow warriors, led by Andy (Theron), as they gain a deeper understanding of where exactly their special powers come from, while a larger threat looms with Discord (Uma Thurman<\/a>).<\/p>\n

In the sequel, which premiered on Netflix on July 2, Nile is more confident, badass, and daring. We see her doing more stunts \u2014 many of which Layne performed herself \u2014 and wielding swords this time around. On the surface, taking on a thrilling action role like this is really cool. But the significance of being an immortal Black woman in a film like this isn\u2019t lost on Layne.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWhen people see me and my films, I want them to feel my love of our community, and I hope that that love resonates in some way for them to love themselves more fully and to see their beauty.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s important for us to be able to watch any genre and see ourselves represented in ways that feel real and meaningful,\u201d she said. \u201cYes, she\u2019s a warrior, but there still is a vulnerability there. We see the strong Black woman [trope] in film and TV, but Nile is a bit more complex than that, even though she has this really special ability.\u201d<\/p>\n

Layne has been intentional about the roles she takes on. When your debut feature is starring in Barry Jenkins\u2019<\/a> film adaptation of James Baldwin\u2019s<\/a> If Beale Street Could Talk<\/em><\/a>, being selective feels on par for the journey. Since then, Layne has starred in Don\u2019t Worry Darling<\/em><\/a>, Native Son<\/em><\/a> and Dandelion<\/em><\/a>. When Chadwick Boseman<\/a> passed away in 2020, Layne applauded his dedication to \u201crepresenting us and opening doors for us to be seen in ways that this industry often ignores\u201d in an Instagram tribute post.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She hopes to do the same. While filming Coming 2 America<\/em><\/a>,<\/em> Wesley Snipes<\/a> asked Layne to name five Black female action stars. She couldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

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\u201cHe said, \u2018You could be that. I see your skill. I see you can actually do this if you take it seriously,\u2019\u201d she recalled. The veteran\u2019s words stuck with her.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew that it was something more meaningful in terms of how I can represent for dark skinned Black women, [in] representing wearing my locs out. All of these things are super intentional for me,\u201d she said. \u201cI grew up watching these movies, and there were only so many types of stories and genres that we saw ourselves being represented consistently. [I get to] now have two films under my belt where I get to contribute to filling that gap a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s been her focal point in an industry where work can be inconsistent and rejections are plentiful. In turn, she\u2019s had to be more selective. \u201cHow are Black women going to feel when they see this?\u201d has become a sort of litmus test for her. After her first Oscars afterparty the year If Beale Street Could Talk<\/em> was nominated, the then-newbee was over it and headed out the door when a young woman approached her. She tearfully expressed gratitude for seeing Layne, a woman with natural hair who looked like her, lead a film \u201cfilled with so much love and tenderness.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was literally a moment where I\u2019m looking around and I\u2019m like, \u2018I\u2019m tired of this shit.\u2019 And I was immediately reminded that it\u2019s not about me,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen I show up fully, in my gifts, when I show up despite being tired, despite all of the things that\u2019s telling me that there\u2019s no space for me, when I still show up, it means something to so many people, because they get to see themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Layne used that to fuel Nile\u2019s story in Old Guard 2<\/em>. On their quest to save humanity, the immortals continually wrestle with the concept of purpose as they learn more about their gift, which allows them to live for centuries. They experience time in an unimaginable way as a result. Just as Layne has poured her own experiences into this character, Nile has offered lessons in return.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have to connect to the belief that this is bigger than me, for me to continue to do this. This is a crazy industry. There\u2019s so many ups and downs. It breaks your heart more than it fills you with joy,\u201d she said candidly. \u201cIt really is a tough time right now, and so that\u2019s the thing that I have to hold on to is that it\u2019s not about me, I perform, and obviously it feels good inside, but a performance is for an audience.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cI knew that it was something more meaningful in terms of how I can represent for dark skinned Black women, [in] representing wearing my locs out. All of these things are super intentional for me.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n

Layne isn\u2019t stopping at making waves in the action genre. She desires to keep pushing her own boundaries in acting with \u201csomething that\u2019s messier and darker.\u201d And of course, she\u2019s holding out hope for The<\/em> Old Guard 3,<\/em> reasonably so after the sequel\u2019s cliffhanger.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen people see me and my films, I want them to feel my love of our community,\u201d she stated. \u201cAnd I hope that that love resonates in some way for them to love themselves more fully and to see their beauty, to see their power, to see their vulnerability. We don\u2019t have to run from these things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?<\/strong><\/p>\n

These 6 Netflix Treats Are Worth Watching In July<\/a><\/p>\n

Stop Calling Black Actresses \u201cDEI Hires.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

Black Beauty Roster Aims To End H&MU Bias On Sets<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KiKi Layne was ready to rock a braided wig over her locs for her latest project, The Old Guard 2. In the first film, released in July 2020, the 33-year-old actor wore cornrows. Since then, however, she\u2019s decided to loc her hair after hesitating on the decision for years, fearing it might limit her from…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1604,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.machimp.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1602"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.machimp.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.machimp.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.machimp.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.machimp.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1602"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.machimp.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1602\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1607,"href":"http:\/\/www.machimp.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1602\/revisions\/1607"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.machimp.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1604"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.machimp.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1602"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.machimp.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1602"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.machimp.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1602"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}