Boseman: Up close and personal
No one is more at the epicenter of the watershed pop-culture moment that is “Black Panther” than Chadwick Boseman, the Panther himself.
Mobbed wherever he goes by selfie-seeking fans, the 41-year-old Boseman has experienced the excitement firsthand. “People are thirsty for it,” he said. “That’s what you’re witnessing now.”
For Boseman, the role of the Wakanda prince T’Challa (Black Panther) was a gift. The South Carolina-native’s acting career only blossomed in his 30s.
He initially planned to be a writer and director, something he hasn’t given up on. “Moonlight” director Barry Jenkins last month signed on to direct a thriller titled “Expatriate,” co-written by Boseman.
Here’s a Q&A with the superhero.
Did the production of “Black Panther” feel historic?
In some ways. I think what we were just trying to do is make a good movie. We all knew from the comic book and/or the script that there were elements here that you’d never seen before in a movie like this—in a Marvel movie, in an action movie, in a blockbuster.
How did (director) Ryan (Coogler) explain his vision for the film in your first meetings?
Our initial conversations were about the conflict between myself and Michael (B. Jordan) in the movie. How does a Wakanda exist in the world? ...There’s a James Bond element to this, that Black Panther is the James Bond of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Jordan’s character can’t really even be called a villain, can he?
There are laudable aspects to him. He’s an antagonist. But if he was just a villain, it wouldn’t be as compelling as it is. For all intents and purposes, in the comic-book genre, he is a villain. But we’re two sides of the same coin.
In that conflict, who do you identify with?
I identify with both. It’s easier for me, in some ways, to identify with his character because it’s the place where you start. All African-Americans—unless they have some direct connection—have been severed from that past. So I was born with some Killmonger in me and I have learned T’Challa throughout my studies.
Tell me about some of those studies.
Well, I went to Howard University. ...It is a Wakanda to a certain degree. If you have a blanketed idea of what it means to be of African descent and you go to Howard University, you’re meeting people from all over the diaspora— from the Caribbean, any country in Africa, in Europe. So you’re seeing people from all walks of life that look like you but they sound different.
Are you surprised to have been cast so frequently as a heroic lead? Is there something of you in that?
There is now. (laughs) There is now because I’ve played them (i.e. singer James Brown).