Chadwick Boseman Got Emotional Talking About His Friendship With Terminally Ill Cancer Patients

The death of actor Chadwick Boseman this past weeks has his fans and peers alike, reeling in shock. As time passes, everyone has been remembering Boseman for his exceptional talent as well as his humility and ability to connect with people on an emotional level.

The late actor was involved with various charity works, most notably with those that involved cancer patients. The actor, unbeknownst to people other than his immediate family and few close friends, had been diagnosed with Stage III colon cancer back in 2016. His condition had worsened as his cancer progressed to Stage IV by 2019, and on August 28th 2020, the actor passed away.

During the promotional tour of his solo Marvel movie Black Panther, back in 2018 in an interview with SiriusXM that has now gone viral, the actor talked about his correspondence with two young terminally ill cancer patients. Boseman had been in contact with the two kids, who were massive Black Panther fans and were very excited to see the movie on screen.

Unfortunately, both kids had passed away before the movie was released. While talking about it, the actor got emotional as he recounted his experience of getting to know the two kids and their family. With tears in his eyes, the actor spoke about what the character of Black Panther meant to those children.

Boseman said, “For me, I would say, you know, there are two little kids… who recently passed from cancer. And throughout our filming, I was communicating with them, knowing that they were both terminal.”

Co-stars Lupita Nyong’o and Danai Gurira could be seen comforting the late actor, as he got emotional recounting this story. “What they said to me and what their parents said, ‘They’re trying to hold on ’til this movie comes.’ To a certain degree, it’s a humbling experience, because you’re like, ‘This can’t mean that much to them.’ You know?” he said, “But seeing how the world has taken this on, seeing how the movement and how it’s taken on a life of its own, I realize that they anticipated something great.”

Black Panther went on to become one of the biggest films of the year, accrediting to Boseman and his fellow cast-mates performances. Along with numerous actors and professionals who worked with Chadwick Boseman, the director of Black Panther, Ryan Coogler paid an emotional tribute to the actor. He praised the late actor for his talent as well as his work ethic, and his determination to make this movie something bigger than life. He called Boseman an “epic firework display” who “made great art”.

Coogler also says he wasn’t privy to Boseman’s illness, “After his family released their statement, I realised that he was living with his illness the entire time I knew him. Because he was a caretaker, a leader, and a man of faith, dignity and pride, he shielded his collaborators from his suffering. He lived a beautiful life.” He ended his emotional and heartfelt message by calling the actor an ancestor, writing “I have to reckon with the fact that Chad is an ancestor now. And I know that he will watch over us, until we meet again.”

Tributes have been pouring out from all over the world for this iconic actor. During the MTV VMAs 2020 opening on Sunday night, host Keke Palmer paid an homage to the actor, saying “We dedicate tonight’s show to a man whose spirit touched so many. He is a true hero, not just onscreen, but in everything he did. His impact lives forever.”