Though it’s been four years since Chadwick Boseman’s death, his influence and impact continues to resonate through Black Hollywood. Just as Denzel Washington did for him, he supported and mentored up and coming actors, including his “Black Panther” co-star Daniel Kaluuya.
As the two were filming the 2018 Marvel blockbuster, “Get Out,” which hit theaters about a year earlier, turned Kaaluya from a relative unknown to a household name — an experience he was not prepared for. The star explained that it was Boseman who helped him understand what was coming.
“Meeting Chad was a pivotal moment in my life,” Kaluuya told The Hollywood Reporter. “I remember we had a dinner, and I sat opposite him. He could see my life was changing, and I didn’t know. I was about to go on a press run, and I didn’t have a publicist. He leaned in and saw I needed help and guidance, and I didn’t have to ask. And I didn’t know how to ask.”
Kaaluya acknowledged how Boseman, who persevered through the challenges of being the lead in a big budget superhero franchise while privately battling cancer, didn’t just give him some quick advice before never communicating with him again.
“He big bro-ed me, he helped me out,” Kaluuya said. “Then ‘Get Out’ came out, and he did a speech on my birthday, it was so poignant. He was an incredible leader on set, and I really felt for him because doing those Marvel things, that’s work. That’s hard. Especially doing the action sequences in those suits in hot weather, it’s hard on the body… Knowing that he did that while he was going through what he was going through, I don’t really have the words for it.
The Oscar winner noted how Boseman “just gave everything” and “led in a very noble way.” He also expressed admiration for the way the “42” star and Lupita Nyong’o helped him prepare for his new reality.
“He always brought people together… He always had time for everyone,” Kaluuya said. “Him and Lupita, they were always back and forth, and they just knew that my life was changing.”
The British actor said he now takews the responsibility of representation seriously and is committed to making sure his roles have meaning.
“When I play a role, I do think, what am I saying to people? [‘Judas and the Black Messiah’] was a big one,” he said. “Someone once said something like, ‘Our job is to rescue wisdom from the past.’ I felt that when I read this script… But yeah, I do feel responsible in a good way. I want to make sure the stuff I do resonates with the people that speak to me or look at me.”
Most recently, Kaluuya made his directorial debut with the sci-fi film “The Kitchen,” which is now streaming on Netflix. He also portrayed the voice of Hobie Brown/Spider-Punk in “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” which is also available on Netflix.