Chadwick Boseman Auditioned For Another Marvel Superhero Before He Became MCU’s Black Panther
Some actors leave an indelible mark not only on the entertainment industry, but also in the hearts of millions of fans. The untimely demise of Chadwick Boseman left a void in Hollywood that can never be filled by anyone else. The talented actor rose to fame with the highly critically and commercially acclaimed project from Black Panther.
However, not many people know that before becoming the face of Black Panther, Chadwick Boseman had auditioned for the character of Drax in the James Gunn-led Guardians Of The Galaxy, which was later played by the Dune star Dave Bautista.
Chadwick Boseman Had Auditioned For The Role Of Drax In The Guardians Of The Galaxy
During an appearance on the reputed chat show The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in 2019 to promote his movie 21 Bridges, Chadwick Boseman spoke about his Guardians Of The Galaxy connection. The actor revealed the major possibility of portraying the role of Drax was originally played by actor Dave Bautista in the series.
The famous chat show host Jimmy Fallon was surprised at the actor’s choice of roles as both Black Panther and Dave Bautista’s Drax are iconic characters from the respective superhero franchises. Chadwick Boseman said-
“You know, it’s about going and playing. I didn’t think I was gonna get it. And it’s weird too, because it’s a testament, I think, to Marvel because after each film, you know – ‘Ant-Man’ has a different tone and feeling. We didn’t know what that was gonna be.
He further said-
“We didn’t know what ‘Guardians’ was gonna be. So I didn’t know what it was. And I only had a few pages at that time. So it was just good to come in and play to see what they did with it.”
With Black Panther, Chadwick Boseman went on to make a cultural impact as the project had a predominantly black cast.
Chadwick Boseman On What Attracted Him Towards The Character Of Black Panther
During an interview with the media outlet CNET in 2020, Chadwick Boseman spoke about Black Panther and even reflected back on what drew him towards the character of Black Panther. He said-
“I love that he thinks about other people. He’s not afraid to hear wise counsel. I think there is some fear of being wrong. I identify with that, with his plight, his personality. And I love him because of the fantasy of playing a ruler — you never get to do that. You never get to explore what that is. It’s fun having power and having a say in what happens to the people around you.”
While talking about Black Panther being the first black superhero movie, the actor said-
“It’s just this tremendous opportunity, not just for me but for all of us really to get out of our boxes. It’s not just Black people getting out of their boxes. Everybody is excited about the opportunity to do something that we should have already done. People are excited about seeing new stuff, but I think they’re extra excited about seeing stuff they should have seen already.”
He further explained-
“It pulls from various ideologies. It pulls from the Blacks-in-science idea, from a nationalist idea, it pulls from a collective-world idea. There’s something that will influence people in a particular way. It took all of this time to come to fruition in a larger way, but now the world is right, the world is able to receive that. It’s just a special thing.”
With a budget of $200 million, Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther went on to make a staggering collection of $1. 349 billion. With an IMDb rating of 7.3 out of 10, Black Panther is currently available on Disney+
