Though this blogpost comes late on his passing, I thought it important to discuss the passing of Chadwick Boseman. The passing of any person is a tragedy, and Boseman’s is no different as he was a prominent actor that had done a lot of worthwhile films. So it is worth discussing the impact his career has had and the hard work he put in to please the general audience while struggling with cancer.
To the general person, Boseman’s most prolific role at this point is his portrayal of Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film Black Panther was extremely prolific in 2018 as it went on to make over $1.3 billion at the box office. The character Black Panther, though, had existed since the 60s, but outside of comic book fans, most people had probably never heard of him. Boseman brought the character to life and gave T’Challa attention in popular culture.
However, before he donned the mask, he brought real world African American figures to prominence in film. He played singer James Brown in Get on Up, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall in Marshall, and Jackie Robinson in 42. Though all these individuals were well known before he played them, he brought them to life on the big screen and gave moviegoers the opportunity to learn more about them and their struggles. It speaks to the impact an actor can have with the roles they pick and the performances they give.
The most impressive thing about Boseman is the pain he went through to please his coworkers and fans. Boseman was diagnosed with cancer in 2016, yet filming on Black Panther did not begin until 2017. This meant that he performed the entire film and every movie he was in after it in extreme pain.
It was not only while acting that he had to deal with that, but also meeting with fans, including ones in the hospital. Despite the pain he felt, he was still willing to go and visit people who looked up to him and admired his work. Words do not begin to describe how impressive his commitment was to his friends.
Reports said that directors Ryan Coogler and Spike Lee, as well as Kevin Feige, had no idea he was suffering. His agent said “[his mom] always taught him not to have people fuss over him...He also felt in this business that people trip out about things, and he was a very, very private person.” So despite everything, he did not want the people he was working with to worry.
In the end, a person is not judged by their ideas nor their words, but their actions. Boseman put his all into his work and pleasing others. This is why I made this blogpost in the first place: his commitment is beautiful and deserves to be respected.
There is something we can learn from Chadwick as we should follow his example. He left behind not only the films he made, but his work in spite of his pain. So as he leaves this world, we should all follow his example and may his work stand the test of time.
No comments:
Post a Comment