Blaze of glory fit for a king
Chadwick Boseman, who died in August, earns a lead actor nomination for “Ma Rainey.”
AFTER EMERGING as a frontrunner in the leadup to the 93rd Academy Awards, Chadwick Boseman earned a posthumous lead actor Oscar nomination Monday morning for Netflix’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” his final feature film performance.
It marks the first Oscar nomination for Boseman, who died in August at the age of 43 after a private battle with cancer.
The 1920s-set musical drama was nominated for five Oscars, including a lead actress nod for Viola Davis, who earned a fourth career nomination for her portrayal of eponymous blues singer Ma Rainey and is now the most-nominated Black actress in academy history.
Boseman was poised to mark another milestone, in the supporting actor category, for his magnetic performance in Spike Lee’s “Da 5 Bloods.” If nominated, Boseman would have become the first actor to be nominated for two posthumous honors in the same year.
Instead, the academy overlooked acclaimed performances by both Boseman and costar Delroy Lindo, nominating Lee’s film solely for original score.
Boseman shot to global fame as Wakanda’s King T’Challa in Marvel’s “Avengers” franchise, leading 2018’s Academy Award-winning “Black Panther,” the first comic book superhero movie to be nominated for the best picture Oscar. He also drew acclaim as a captivating performer in biographical films such as “42,” “Get On Up” and “Marshall.”
But Boseman garnered some of the strongest raves of his career for breathing fiery life into the words of celebrated playwright August Wilson as the talented but tormented horn player Levee in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” adapted for the screen by Ruben Santiago-Hudson and directed by George C. Wolfe.
The role has already earned him lead actor honors from the Golden Globes and Los Angeles Film Critics Ass n., as well as nominations for the upcoming SAG, BAFTA and Spirit Awards.
Accepting the Golden Globe on his behalf last month, Boseman’s widow spoke through tears to note, “He would say something beautiful, something inspiring, something that would amplify that little voice inside of all of us that tells you, ‘You can,’ that tells you to keep going, that calls you back to what you are meant to be doing at this moment in history.”