“Chadwick Boseman forever.” It’s a statement many of his fans and peers have expressed in Boseman’s honor as the indelible mark he’s left on the world will truly live on forever, in many ways.
On the night of August 28, 2020, it was announced that Boseman had died at the age of 43, following a quiet battle with colon cancer. Since then, he’s received many tributes, especially during this year’s awards season.
On Tuesday, Netflix announced it will be debuting Chadwick Boseman: Portrait of an Artist, a special exploring Boseman’s “extraordinary commitment to his craft in an intimate look at the Oscar-nominated actor’s artistry, and the acting process which informed his transformative performances.”
The trailer starts with a voiceover from the late Boseman as he says, “I am an artist. People call me an actor. I wouldn’t necessarily call myself an actor. I would call myself an artist.”
Several of his friends and collaborators including Spike Lee, Viola Davis, Danai Gurira, Taylour Paige, Phylicia Rashad and more will appear in the special to honor Boseman and what he contributed to the craft.
“You know you have to step up when you’re in his presence. He’s looking at your work and he’s really hyper-focused on the craft—on the process. That’s Chad,” Davis muses in the trailer.
Boseman has basically swept award season so far for his magnum opus performance in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and has become the frontrunner in the Best Actor race at the 93rd Academy Awards airing later this month. While we may not yet know the outcome of that upcoming night, one thing is for sure—we can expect an extremely beautiful tribute to Boseman and his work.
Chadwick Boseman: Portrait of an Artist will debut on Netflix on April 17. Per ET Online, the special will be available to stream for a limited 30-day period.