With her portrayal of the superhero Ironheart in the blockbuster Marvel movie Wakanda Forever, Dominique Thorne, a US actress, gripped audiences’ attention. However, when she takes the road on Carnival Monday, she’ll be sporting a different outfit.
Thorne took time to visit Trinidad to rekindle her relationship with her family and culture during Carnival, despite having a demanding schedule before the release of her Ironheart series on Disney+ later this year.
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On February 17, when speaking with Newsday at Digicel’s Maraval Road, St. Clair office, Thorne expressed her happiness at being back in her parents’ country for the first time in 12 years.
Both her mother Nerissa Guy and her father Carnarvon Guy are from Chaguanas and Mayaro, respectively.
Thorne, 25, said that although her trip to Trinidad was long delayed, once she arrived on February 14 and stayed with family in Central Trinidad, she immediately felt at home.
“It didn’t feel like a decade had passed since my last visit, especially as my aunt was who I was with for the last visit and she was the one who met us at the airport this time. It felt like a snapback to the last time I was here and picking back up at that same spot and getting to see all of my family. It was definitely a familiar feeling. If anything, the sense of love and roots has gotten stronger and deeper since the last time I was here.”
Thorne often doesn’t have a lot of leisure because of her hard work schedule, but this year she made the decision to use her break to take a much-needed vacation in preparation for filming later in the year.
“I was working back-to-back and there were a bunch of meetings that I was supposed to have with people in person that I had to put off until I finished filming.
“So, February was the first available window of time to have those meetings but at the same time, I had this strong urge to see my only first cousin, who is six years old, and I was having this conversation about coming back (to Trinidad) to see him and I felt like if I didn’t make the time there would always be another reason to put work first and delay it.”
Thorne has immersed herself in Trinidadian culture since arriving, attending panyards, fetes, and even the Iz We performance by Kes the Band on February 14 in Tarouba’s Brian Lara Stadium.
Thorne claims that despite spending so much time away from Trinidad and Tobago, she had no trouble picking up on the beat of this year’s soca music and has already chosen her top three favorites for Road March.
“I have a top three, they have to be Kes’ Mental Day, that’s my baby cousin’s favorite song as well, Olatunji’s Engine Room was also very good, and Machel Montano’s Night Shift even though that’s probably not in the mix.”
Thorne is a native of Trinidad and lived the majority of her life in Brooklyn, New York. She was given the US Presidential Scholar in the Arts award in 2015, and she even started playing the pan at school. Even with her New York tone, her Trinidadian accent is clearly audible.
“What’s crazy is that I was in Phoenix, Arizona, for the Super Bowl that just passed and I found myself at an event for the Congressional Black Caucus and I was speaking with a congresswoman and at some point she asked me where I was from, I told her I was from Brooklyn, but eventually I told her my parents were from Trinidad and that’s when she said, ‘I knew I heard the islands.’
“When I graduated I didn’t get the chance to keep practicing (playing pan) but coming back here is a reminder of things I want to keep practicing and exercising to strengthen these skills.
“Being born in America it’s very easy for people to dismiss your Trinidadian connection but in our household with the people I interact with everyday, they are Trinidadians.”
Thorne, who was raised in a Trinidadian home, claims that her mother first expressed concern when she told her that she intended to study performing arts because she had hoped she would choose a more conventional course of study.
She claims that her father and grandpa Frank Morgan ultimately assisted in persuading her mother to embrace her passion, which bloomed into a prosperous career when she secured a supporting part in Judas and the Black Messiah with A-list actor Daniel Kaluuya, who received an Academy Award for his depiction of senior Black Panther Party member Fred Hampton in the movie.
Thorne is one of several actors with Trinidadian ancestry to get praise for their performances throughout the years.
Thorne remarks on this achievement and claims that she believes their demeanors make them natural storytellers.
“I think many times that Trinidadians are storytellers.
“Just growing up and remembering my grandmother retell a story about an accident they saw on the road, it’s full passion, full commitment they make you feel like you are in the car with them.
“It’s an animated but also a very grounded perspective or view of the world and also I think it’s the energy you see amplified (that) you see for Carnival, that same ability to express yourself.”
Thorne plans to experience as much of the culture as she can, and says one of the top things on her agenda is to go to the Machel One Show performance on Carnival Friday, even though she won’t be able to see the entire march of the bands since she departs TT on Carnival Tuesday.
“I was talking to my cousin recently and we agreed that in our minds and our hearts, our list of top entertainers are Michael Jackson at number one and Machel Montano at number two.
“It would be a huge experience to see this man who helped shape our culture, especially with our way to connect to that culture over in the US and the easiest way is through music.
“Also being an academically-centered child growing up, I didn’t get a lot of chances to party so I’m definitely looking forward to my first J’Ouvert experience and things like that.”
Avelle Brand Management Company, a local brand marketing firm, is Thorne’s representative. Thorne’s activities and appearances while in Trinidad have been organized with assistance from CEO Avalon Gomez. Gomez praised Thorne’s dedication to her culture and said she was pleased to represent Thorne.
“Hosting Dominique is an honor for myself and a big deal for my company’s brand.
“Ms. Thorne’s humility and love for people, culture, and storytelling made us the perfect fit and makes her a true Trini.
“We would like to thank some of our partners (for) making Dominique’s short tour here fun, they are Kes the Band, Digicel and Blackstar Entertainment.”
