Denzel Washington Calls ‘Black Panther’ Star Chadwick Boseman ‘Gentle Soul’

Denzel Washington remembered Chadwick Boseman in a recent interview, calling the late Black Panther star a gentle soul.

Legendary actor Denzel Washington recently opened up about the loss of Chadwick Boseman after the Black Panther star passed away at the end of August, age 43. Boseman famously had his studies at Oxford secretly paid for by Washington and the Black Panther star was able to thank the Hollywood titan during the premiere of the Marvel Studios movie. But during a recent interview director Barry Levinson (moderated by The Hollywood Reporter) Denzel Washington described the late actor as a “gentle soul.”

Denzel Washington’s interview with Barry Levinson took place as part of the Toronto Film Festival and when the topic turned to Chadwick Boseman, the Oscar winner explained that because he lived a full life, the Black Panther lead wasn’t cheated. When reflecting on the iconic Marvel movie, Denzel Washington revealed the blockbuster made him emotional because Ryan Coogler and Boseman had “taken over.”

“He didn’t get cheated. We did. I pray for his poor wife and his family. They got cheated, but he lived a full life. I went backstage and I saw Chad and I saw Ryan Coogler, and then I watched the movie and I remember shedding a tear. Because I thought, man, these young guys are gone. Like they’d taken over.”

Chadwick Boseman began his acting career in television, landing his first role in 2003. Boseman’s big break came much later with his portrayal of baseball legend Jackie Robinson in the Brian Helgeland-directed biopic 42. He then gained further recognition for his work as James Brown in Tate Taylor’s Get on Up.

Following his roles in Jackie Robinson and James Brown, Chadwick Boseman was cast as T’Challa in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He made his debut as the iconic Marvel hero in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War before reprising the role in the standalone film Black Panther, directed by Ryan Coogler. Boseman’s Black Panther was then seen in Avengers: Infinity War and its follow-up Endgame.

Chadwick Boseman was last seen in Spike Lee’s Netflix film Da 5 Bloods. Prior to that, Boseman starred in the Brian Kirk-directed action thriller 21 Bridges, which was produced by Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame helmers Joe and Anthony Russo. His final film, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, is expected to hit Netflix later this year.

Source: THR