All About Lidya Jewett — The Actor Who Portrayed Young Nakia In Deleted 'Black Panther' Scenes

Lidya Jewett is an African-American actress who earned her breakthrough role in 2015, appearing on See Dad Run and WITS Academy.

She is best known for playing the young Katherine G. Johnson in the Oscar-nominated historical drama Hidden Figures. She has also been part of shows such as Grey's Anatomy and Good Girls.

At the age of 14, the talented actress already has 12 movie credits under her name. The young actress has also been featured in the superhero film the Black Panther; however, her scene was deleted from the movie.

Jewett’s Deleted Scene In 'Black Panther'

Marvel Cinematic Universe film Black Panther gained massive success with late actor Chadwick Boseman since he was the first black actor to headline an MCU film. 

In the movie, the Jewett was cast for the role of young Nakia. In the deleted flashback scene titled ‘Voices From the Past,’ young Nakia and T’Challa are happily playing in the catacombs. 

The pair stop when they see King T’Chaka. The scene proceeds with T’Chaka commanding them to come forward and T’Challa asking Nakia to go back.

Jewett Was Adopted At 4

The talented child actor is just 14, with her birthday on January 21, 2007. Born in Ethiopia on the border of South Sudan, she was left at an orphanage by her biological parents at 3. 

However, in 2011, a loving American family adopted her from Palm City, Florida, which changed her life. Jewett quickly adapted to her new country, and within months, the 4-year-old was speaking and reading English. Her adoptive parents are Dale Jewett and Kim Jewett. 

The Jewett Siblings

Youngest in the family, she has two elder brothers Connor Jewett and Maclain Jewett, and one elder sister, Isabella Jewett.

The youngest sibling constantly shares pictures of her brothers and sister on her Instagram, proving that they all share a very close bond.

On the occasion of National Siblings Day,2016, she had posted a collage with pictures of her with all her siblings.

Jewett’s Education 

Jewett is very focused on her studies and is currently enrolled in Dwight Global Online School. She loves her online school because of the people, classes, and connections she has made.

Jewett Is A Bibliophile 

She loves to read, which is evident from all the posts she makes about the collection of books she has read on her Instagram. She started to read at an even early age and reads about two books a week. 

Her favorite book is the young adult mystery novel, We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. 

Jewett’s Inspirations

In an interview with Poster Child, Jewett shared that Octavia Spencer and Andrew Garfield were some actors she looked up to.

Spencer's journey from working behind a counter to starring in Oscar-winning movies inspires the young actress to work harder. Besides that, Garfield’s dedication to polishing his roles inspires her to dig deeper into different aspects of her roles.

Jewett And Acting

Her career started when Jewett's parents began taking to modeling auditions at 6. After appearing in print ads, she started doing location shoots for resorts.  

With her modeling career on the rise, Jewett ventured towards commercials and started appearing on movies and televisions at just 8. 

Jewett Is Musically Talented

Along with being an actor, she is musically inclined as well. She can play the piano as well as has a beautiful singing voice. She had previously shared a short clip of her covering the popular Calum Scott song 'You Are The Reason' on her Instagram. 

With so many significant roles at such a young age, Jewett is definitely a talent to look out for.