8 Chadwick Boseman Facts That Make The Late “Black Panther” Star A True Superhero
By now you’ve probably heard the sad news about the passing of Chadwick Boseman, the well-loved “Black Panther” actor who died too soon at the age of 43 after a long battle with stage 3 colon cancer. Though he was diagnosed with the illness in 2016, the news of his sudden death was a shocker to fans as he had never mentioned it to the public.
In commemoration of Chadwick Boseman aka King T’challa’s life, we remember him with these 8 facts that make him a real-life superhero.
Read on for these 8 facts about Chadwick Boseman that you need to know.
#1: While secretly fighting the disease himself, he spread joy to children sick with cancer
Photo from St. Jude via Twitter
Back in 2018, Chadwick visited the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital to bring cheer to young cancer patients. Little did we know that he was silently battling the same illness himself at the same time. Through it all, he kept a big smile on his face, never showing any signs of vulnerability - all to brighten up the lives of those kids.
Photo from St. Jude via Twitter
In a dedication post on Twitter, St. Jude mentions that he “brought with him not only toys for [their] patients but also joy, courage and inspiration.”
#2: The African accents you hear in “Black Panther” are all thanks to his insistence
Photo from @chadwickboseman via Instagram
Marvel was initially uncertain about the “Black Panther” character having African accents in the movie, and considered asking Chadwick to either keep his American accent or take on a British one. However, Chadwick fought back, saying that he wanted everything to be authentic instead of having the Wakandans “colonised”.
"I was like, 'No, this is such an important factor that if we lose this right now, what else are we gonna throw away for the sake of making people feel comfortable?”
To him, it was a deal breaker, and luckily, Marvel decided to go ahead with his request. Chadwick was so dedicated to getting into character that he worked with a dialect coach from South Africa to learn the accent he used for T’challa.
#3: Unlike other big Marvel stars, he didn’t have to audition for his “Black Panther” role
Photo from @chadwickboseman via Instagram
Marvel Studios has their eye on Chadwick as a top “Black Panther” pick from the start, to the point where he didn’t even have to audition for the role - unlike other big Marvel stars like Chirs Pratt and Robert Downey Jr. Just imagine.
The team must have held him in real high regard based on his previous performances - and they were right to do so, because he was evidently a perfect fit for the character.
#4: He stayed strong while others joked about his illness-related weight loss
Photo from @chadwickboseman via Instagram
Back in April this year, Chadwick took to IGTV to spread awareness about a charity initiative in a 4-minute video. Sadly, instead of focusing on the worthy cause, many viewers instead chose to comment on his noticeably skinnier frame.
Although some expressed concern for his well being, plenty others made jokes about him, some even calling him “Crack Panther” and changing the iconic “Wakanda forever” catchphrase to “Crackanda forever”.
Chadwick put up a strong front, chose not to retaliate, and continued promoting such important social causes. However, he disabled comments and hid some of his posts - which shows that he was in fact affected by the jibes.
We now know that his stark weight loss was illness-related. This just goes to show that we should think twice before judging someone or laughing at them as we never know what they’re really going through.
#5: Apart from being an actor, he was also a script writer and director
Photo from @chadwickboseman via Instagram
Most of us are only familiar with Chadwick the Hollywood actor, but turns out he was a man of many hats who could also work behind the camera as a script writer and director. In fact, his first play, Crossroads, was written and staged after his college basketball teammate was murdered. This paved the way for his many other plays, including some that were part of the hip-hop theatre genre.
“I just had a feeling that this was something that was calling me. Suddenly, playing basketball wasn't as important," Chadwick said.
In 2013, he was directing an off-Broadway play when he got the call for his first starring role in the baseball film, "42". In fact, at one point, he even considered giving up acting entirely to pursue directing full-time, and initially only went into acting to learn how to give better instructions as a director.
#6: Passionate about making the world a better place, he often spoke up about social issues
Photo from @chadwickboseman via Instagram
For some celebrities, it’s all about the glitz and glamour, with showy outfits, designer goods, and lavish holidays. This wasn’t the case for Chadwick. Passionate about social causes, the man was quite the activist, and regularly used his Instagram account as a platform to talk about the issues important to him in hopes of making this world a better place.
Most recently, he was part of Operation 42, an initiative that helped donate medical equipment to hospitals fighting COVID-19, in particular those mainly catered to Black communities. He constantly spoke up about system racism, and also supported Families Belong Together, a campaign against separating immigrant children from their parents.
Aside from that, he was a huge proponent of gender equality. In a post on International Women’s Day, he shared the above quote image with the caption, “Education is a gateway to broadening perceptions, fighting stereotypes, and creating parity in this world. Celebrating all of the women who have made an indelible impact on my life on #InternationalWomensDay and everyday.”
#7: Extremely private and grounded, he kept his loved ones out of the limelight
Photo from Kevork Djansezian for Getty
Little is known about Chadwick’s personal life, apart from the fact that he got engaged to his then-girlfriend, singer girlfriend Taylor Simone Ledward in 2019. Staying low key and keeping his loved ones out of the limelight is something he does intentionally.
“When you talk about that, you become a whole different type of celebrity. Your personal life bleeds into your professional life. I’m an actor, and you know me from who I play. You get a sense of who I am, but you don’t know everything.”
This is probably the reason why he never went public about his cancer diagnosis either.
It is reported that Chadwick secretly married Taylor early this year in a private ceremony with only close ones present shortly before his passing.
#8: He took time to appreciate his fans, especially the kids
Photo from @chadwickboseman via Instagram
There is a whole alphabet created specially for Black Panther by the film’s production designer, and a young fan wrote a letter to Chadwick entirely using those elaborate symbols.
Chadwick shared the photo of the boy on his Instagram page with the caption, “How cool is it that Hannah Beachler created an incredible alphabet for #BlackPanther and now I’m getting fanmail like this? Thanks for letting me know you’re my biggest fan, Ben. You’re awesome and your letter means a lot to me. #WakandaForever”
You can see Chadwick’s genuine, sincere nature simply through his words - it’s nice that he took the time to recognise and appreciate those who looked up to him.
Rest in peace, king. Wakanda forever.
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Text by: GirlStyle SG
