To film fans around the world, Chadwick Boseman's stellar legacy
is beyond doubt - but what did his Black Panther co-stars really think of him?
They may have squared off against each other in Black Panther, but away from the cameras, Michael
B. Jordan and Chadwick Boseman were the best of friends. The actors first met back in 2003, when
Jordan succeeded Boseman as the character Reggie Montgomery on the soap opera All My Children. Even
at this early stage in their careers, Boseman, who was a decade older than Jordan, had the younger
actor's back. Having ditched the role due to his discomfort with Reggie's stereotypical depiction,
Boseman was able to get the producers to bestow the character more gravitas once Jordan took over.
As Jordan revealed in an Instagram post following Boseman's untimely death in 2020,
the late actor was his guiding force. He wrote:
"One of the last times we spoke, you said we were forever linked,
and now the truth of that means more to me than ever."
Jordan admitted that he never got a chance to tell Boseman how much he
truly meant to him before he died. In an interview with Vanity Fair,
Jordan said that Boseman's death was his worst moment of 2020. He told the publication:
"Yeah, man, it hurt. It hurt a lot. That's probably what made me cry the most this year."
As off-again-on-again lovers T'Challa and Nakia, Chadwick Boseman and Lupita Nyong'o
had immense chemistry on screen, a reflection of the profound bond the actors shared behind
the scenes. In a 2018 interview with E! News, Boseman and Nyong'o engaged
in some lighthearted flirting, as the stars complimented each other's looks and talents.
"It's not hard to fall in love with Lupita. She's a beautiful person."
Nyong'o was equally complimentary about her co-star and friend, remarking that he's "easy
on the eye." That year, Nyong'o poked gentle fun at her onscreen partner's Rolling Stone cover,
recreating the snap on Instagram above the caption: "From someone who loves you."
Despite living with cancer for four years, Boseman was able to keep his illness a secret from all but
a select few people. It's a testament to his close friendship with Nyong'o, then, that she knew about
it - although she was unaware of its severity. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, she reflected
on the pain of losing her friend, and the shock of discovering the news of his passing. Recalling an
instance in which Boseman refused to fly to South Africa despite her pleading with him to make the
journey, Nyong'o acknowledged in hindsight that his illness prevented him from doing so. She said:
"That's the thing about Chadwick. Chadwick wasn't
trying to have everyone be like him. What he inspired was you to be your best self."
From the moment she met Chadwick Boseman, Letitia Wright knew that it was going to be the start
of a beautiful friendship. Wright was in awe of Boseman, who quickly became the big brother she
never had. In an interview with Cassius, Wright discussed the closeness of the pair's relationship
and explained that Boseman comfortably settled into his surrogate big brother role. She recalled:
"Sipping on his smoothie, looking at me up and down, sizing me up, I was like,
'You finna be my big brother.' We just fell in love with each other."
Completing the Black Panther sequel without Boseman was, understandably,
traumatic for Wright, her grief entwined with a severe injury she sustained during a stunt.
But she says that she thought of her late friend as she struggled to get through takes,
remembering that he was able to achieve so much - despite his physical suffering. Wright
also explained that she hoped the film would help others struggling with grief. She said:
"You wish you held on to him longer, but he's not here. So
all that you have is to piece together the memories and what he's left behind."
British actor Martin Freeman had a great relationship with Chadwick Boseman, both on
and off set. In an interview with Red Carpet News TV, he looked back on their friendship.
"I absolutely adored working with him, and he was a truly…
He was a good man, you know, and you can't say that about all of us."
Freeman has often spoken of his awe at Boseman, whom he likens to a real-life superhero. At a
press junket in 2021, he discussed the respect he has for his late co-star,
recalling the grueling regimen he put his body through, all the while living with cancer.
"I think that is truly heroic. That's the stuff that real-life heroism is made of.
In an interview with Sky News, Freeman admitted that he and the majority of
his co-stars had no idea Boseman was sick. As such, he spoke of his shock
at learning that Boseman was going through cancer during filming. Freeman explained:
"Losing him was awful. It was dreadful [...] We had no idea. And that's when you kind of go,
you can never complain again [...] When people are capable of this superhuman act of fortitude."
On screen, W'Kabi and T'Challa are close friends — for a while, at least — and away
from the cameras both Boseman and Daniel Kaluuya were just as close. In 2018, Daniel Kaluuya
admitted to reporters that he was feeling somewhat overwhelmed by his Oscar nomination and the sudden
onslaught of fame. As it turned out, however, Chadwick Boseman reassured the star. He said:
"I saw Chadwick Boseman, I was like, 'What is this?' And he was like,
'I know bro, it's a good feeling. It means you're ready for it. Accept it.'"
Speaking with Complex following Boseman's death,
a visibly emotional Kaluuya discussed the meaningful connection he formed with his co-star.
"Chad was a light. And he was a leader, you know what I'm saying."
The actor shed light on the mentor role that his ailing co-star adopted, advising
Kaluuya on how to conduct himself during press junkets for his breakthrough role in Get Out.
"I didn't ask him for that. He just went, 'Boom. Here.' You know what I'm sayin'? It's like…he's
playing Black Panther; he doesn't have time for that!"
But the pair's relationship wasn't confined to the Marvel studio set. Away from their work life,
the actors were close, too. In one of his happiest memories,
Kaluuya recalled being invited to a house party hosted by Boseman,
where guests were treated to a performance by a drummer playing along to Mobb Deep.
"He's gonna be deeply missed, man. I miss…I miss him, man. Real talk."
Danai Gurira and Chadwick Boseman were good friends, too. It was apparently
Boseman's genial personality that first endeared Gurira to Boseman,
as she detailed in a Twitter post following his death. She wrote:
"I always marveled at how special Chadwick was. Such a pure-hearted, profoundly generous, regal,
fun guy [...] He was zen and sweet and funny [...] attentive, and truly, truly, good."
Despite her sorrow at his passing, Gurira said that she was glad she was able to
befriend Boseman, however briefly, and spend his last years with him. As such,
she said that the idea he is no longer with us was difficult to come to terms with.
As Gurira explained to Elle, she was frequently in awe of Boseman's presence while working with him,
but she was equally astounded by his humble nature. Perhaps one of the most
bittersweet outcomes of Boseman's death is that the cessation of his friendship
with his co-stars ultimately brought them closer together. Gurira added:
"Different seasons require different types of friends. And this season we
didn't need colleagues: we needed friends. We needed comfort and a great support system."
Andy Serkis may have played the villainous Ulysses Klaue in Black Panther, but Serkis and Chadwick
Boseman shared a friendlier relationship behind the scenes. As Serkis revealed in a chat with
People magazine, he and Boseman developed a playful on-screen back-and-forth. A little
too playful, perhaps, since Boseman seriously injured Serkis during their first encounter.
"He kneed me so hard in the chest because he couldn't really see with
his mask on. I felt like he'd broken my ribs."
When Boseman died, Serkis penned a moving dedication to him on Instagram,
poignantly referring to the late actor in the present tense. He wrote:
"Your quiet steel and raging fire beautifully tempered by the
fact that you are an honorable, generous, humble human being."
During an appearance on Sway's Universe, the British star discussed the lasting
impact of Boseman's shock death. Serkis, who said that he was devastated when he found
out that the actor had died, commended Boseman for his dedication to his craft.
"He really was an inspiration to everyone on the set, you know."
Moreover, Serkis explained that losing Boseman, although tragic,
had enabled him to appreciate his loved ones more than ever.
"And Chad kind of epitomized that, really."
Like many of the young actors who worked with Chadwick Boseman,
Winston Duke looked up to and idolized his co-star. In a 2018 interview with GQ,
Duke remembered meeting his co-star for the first time. At the up-and-coming actor's audition,
Boseman was his screen-test partner, and casting directors required the pair to wrestle. He said:
"I walked in there and I saw his face, and I'm like, 'Oh,
damn. It's real' [...] I had these beads on my hand [...] I wore boots and these cargo
pants. And as we're wrestling around, my pants split and my beads broke. And I was just like,
'You know what, man? Go with it [...] Champions adjust.'"
Despite his initial faux pas in the presence of Wakanda's king, Duke and Boseman soon grew close.
In a heartbreaking Instagram memorial to his co-star, Duke reflected on how Boseman inspired
him but bitterly conceded that he thought he'd get to grapple with him one more time. He wrote:
"How do I start to honor a man who I saw as a giant in many ways;
with whom I thought I had so much more time."
Calling Boseman a "friend and hero," Duke revealed that the late star gave
him direction and advice in the lead-up to filming, and inspired him with an artistry
that he sought to emulate. Speaking with Access, Duke resolved to honor Boseman with
the Black Panther sequel, declaring that the star is now a "Marvel Disney Legend."
Angela Bassett first met Chadwick Boseman decades before they entered
the MCU as mother and son. In an Instagram post, Bassett remembered:
"During the premiere party for Black Panther, Chadwick reminded
me of something. He whispered that when I received my honorary degree from Howard
University [...] he was the student assigned to escort me that day. And here we were,
years later as friends and colleagues, enjoying the most glorious night ever!"
This pleasant twist of fate enabled the two actors to forge a meaningful friendship — and
they weren't afraid of embracing their silly sides, either. Back in 2018, Boseman joked
that Bassett was the rap queen of Wakanda, a title previously claimed by Letitia Wright,
in reference to the rap battles that were apparently a frequent custom for the cast
between takes. Meanwhile, Bassett poked gentle fun at Boseman in return. During an appearance
on Watch What Happens Live, Bassett was asked who she thought was the greater lothario in
the bedroom: Boseman, or his arch nemesis Killmonger, played by Michael B. Jordan.
"I think it's Jordan."
"You think it's what?"
"Jordan."
"Jordan? "Yeah, I gotta-I gotta agree."
“Alright, okay.”
And while Boseman may be gone, Bassett believes that his spirit lives on. She told Yahoo! News:
"We are a spiritual people so we know that his spirit will permeate that set,
even now, until it's presented to audiences."
Forest Whitaker played Black Panther's wise elder Zuri,
who guides T'Challa when he needs it the most. Unlike many of Chadwick Boseman's
other co-stars, Whitaker didn't appear to be particularly tight with him. Nevertheless,
he has reflected fondly on his amicable working relationship with the young actor. On Twitter,
the Oscar-winner paid tribute to the departed star in a poetic, philosophical fashion. He wrote:
"Let the heavens be blessed as you illuminate the sky. Sending my love
and prayers to the family. May god continue to hold you in his everlasting embrace."
In an interview with ABC News, Whitaker disclosed his fondest memories of Boseman,
of which he had many. He went on to suggest that it was Boseman's immense discipline,
coupled with his receptiveness as an actor, that defined Black Panther,
thus propelling the movie toward its monumental success. Moreover, Whitaker praised the star as
being instrumental in helping people embrace their racial heritage and the beauty that lies therein.