'Black Panther' star Danai Gurira feels responsibility to 'educate and edify' through representation

— -- Marvel's blockbuster hit "Black Panther" is making a positive impact far and wide, and actress Danai Gurira said the movie's unique perspective is transcending in ways she never imagined.

Gurira, 40, told "Good Morning America" there is a "reclaiming" taking place in Africa right now. She said she sees representation as a catalyst for educating and edifying younger generations.

"There's a reclaiming taking place that's resonating just now in South Africa. I was with a group of students from the African Leadership Academy who are students from across the continent -- and they were all asking me all these questions and they're looking at me like, 'Help us to really understand the pride in who we are and how we move our continent forward,'" Gurira said.

"That's now what the responsibility comes with. We have to encourage and edify, as people are feeling the resonance in this film that's telling them to be proud of who they are and not believe the lie that they're deficient because they're different," she added.

The actress said the reaction to "Black Panther" has been "more than you could have asked for, dreamt for or imagined."

"It's kind of that feeling that you can never expect," she said. "I loved the vision that Ryan [Coogler] had and the platform Marvel was putting a story from [the] African perspective story on," she explained of the studio and director's initial vision for the film.

She continued: "I was so moved by the idea of telling a story like this, and we gave it everything we had. We were so passionately committed. The resonance that it's had has been just more than one could ever ask for."

Gurira, who grew up in Africa, said the diverse creativity from director Ryan Coogler and the entire cast helped them tell this unique, untold perspective.

"We all had that same thing where we had yearned for these types of images and we hadn't seen them," she said. "We hadn't seen diverse perspectives told on a heroic tale, on a heroic level. We just hadn't seen an epic level of storytelling coming from the perspective of people who look like us."

The actress, who plays the warrior Okoye, said she's been "moved in so many ways" while traveling for the film, including when a young fan in London clutched her hand.

"This little boy just entwined his hand in mine, his fingers in mine and held on to me so tight. And it's like this little British young man was so in love with these characters and with this world and it just shattered any concept that these things can't transcend unless they're coming from one perspective," Gurira said. "It was just the most beautiful thing."

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