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The entertainment world is reeling from the news that Chadwick Boseman, better known as Marvel’s Black Panther, has died at the age of 43. It emerged that, unknown to anyone except a few close associates, the actor had been diagnosed with colon cancer for four years. does.
“A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all and brought you many of the movies you have come to love so much,” said his family.
Released in 2018, Black Panther was hailed as a breakthrough for the black community in Hollywood. It was the first superhero movie to be nominated for best picture at the Oscars. It is the highest grossing Marvel project that does not have the word “Avengers” in its title.
The news that Boseman shot and promoted the film after receiving his diagnosis adds a sadder and more unexpected distinction.
“I think it’s important because we haven’t seen anything like it,” he told me shortly before the film’s premiere. “People are thirsty for it. It’s one thing to tell a story about historical figures. Another thing is that this history is aspirational, that it is not defined by slavery, it is not defined by colonialism. It is important to get away from those limits. People are excited about the promise of what could be and what should be. “
Even before he was cast as the African superhero, Boseman had gambled on being one of the most exciting actors of his generation.
He was electric as James Brown in 2014’s Get on Up. He shone as inspiring baseball player Jackie Robinson at 42. This year, he appeared in Spike Lee’s acclaimed war drama Da 5 Bloods. Balancing dynamic physicality with a knack for crafty comedy, Boseman seemed to be a star for all ages. It will continue to be an inspiration.
T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) and Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) in Black Panther. Photography: Matt Kennedy, Marvel Studios
Michael B. Jordan, Chadwick Boseman and Angela Bassett at the 25th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2019. Photo: John Sciulli / Getty Images for Turner
Boseman was born into a working-class South Carolina family. She wrote plays in school before studying directing at Howard University in Washington DC. His initial impulse was to stay behind the camera, but, in 2008, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. His first starring role came in 2013 at 42. A year later, Boseman took on the daunting task of playing James Brown. You can hardly imagine a more spectacular entry to the big leagues. Get on Up tested every weapon in the actor’s arsenal. I had to dance. I had to sing. He had to capture some of the legendary charisma of the hardest-working man in show business.
“I was finally sure I could do it,” he told me. But at first I wasn’t sure. I think everyone had doubts as to whether it was possible to reproduce James Brown on stage. I watched it for a couple of weeks while making the decision. Then I had a conversation with Mick Jagger and I was convinced. I felt he was right. But you can’t be 100% sure. “
The performance confirmed that as a star from Hollywood’s golden age, Chadwick Boseman could do it all and do it all in style. In person, he showed himself as a studied and introspective individual, but his capacity for creative explosion knew no bounds.
He was also admirably engaged in his early years. More than a few talented actors have given up before the world recognized their gifts. His youthful and energetic demeanor in Black Panther distracts from the realization that he was approaching 40 before becoming a star.
“I had committed to putting bread on the table by doing this alone,” he told me in 2014. “It was a great leap of faith on my part. How else will you gain experience? He would have to do two or three jobs: he would write something while doing other work. But I never thought so much about it. This is what I wanted. “
Marvel is now Hollywood’s biggest show and his casting as T’Challa, the Wakandan potentate who fights the Avengers as Black Panther, offered final confirmation that his trust had not been lost.
Wrapped in flamboyant Afro-Futurism, the film gave Boseman the opportunity to be a crime fighter, secret agent, national icon, social crusader, and stylish clothesline.
Hollywood has had a nonchalant history when it comes to race, but Boseman helped change the conversation within the industry. Many more exciting and challenging roles would have been presented to him. He will star alongside Viola Davis in the upcoming Netflix adaptation of August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. That posthumous statement, which recounts an incident in the life of The Mother of the Blues, now acquires an unbearable intensity.
Tributes came from politicians, musicians and fellow actors. Kamala Harris, the subject of Boseman’s latest tweet, was moving in her celebration of the short, but significant, life. “With a broken heart. My friend and partner Bison Chadwick Boseman was brilliant, kind, cultured and humble, ”wrote the vice presidential candidate. “He left too early, but his life made the difference.”
It is reported that he married singer Taylor Simone Ledward, his longtime partner, earlier this year. Shockwaves still reverberate.
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