Boseman’s on the prowl in a sleek, stifling suit
LOS ANGELES – Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther has a new, upgraded supersuit.
After Boseman first played the superhero in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, director Ryan Coogler decided to make changes to the costume for the character’s historic lead role in Black Panther.
Coogler intended to highlight the superior technology of the fictional African country Wakanda, the throne of which T’Challa inherits.
“We wanted to make the suit seem like it has even more technological capabilities,” Coogler says.
Black Panther reveals the suit is made with vibranium, the mythical, magical metal that empowers Wakanda. The new outfit is nearly indestructible — and it absorbs kinetic energy, allowing Black Panther to refocus that power.
T’Challa’s younger sister, Shuri (Letitia Wright), Wakanda’s top scientist and innovator, presents the advanced suit to her brother and demonstrates its new features.
“The coolest thing about the suit is it’s very tied to the relationship with (T’Challa’s) little sister,” Coogler says.
The director worked for about a year with production designer Ryan Meinerding and costume designer Ruth E. Carter on the look of the power apparel. The vibranium layer is actually a form-fitting silver suit underneath an overlay of thin fabric imprinted with a triangle pattern.
There’s a subtle medallion on the chest plate and a panther-tooth neckpiece to enhance the tribal feel.
Getting accustomed to the mask and its restrictions on breathing and vision was tough for the guy inside.
“It’s suffocating at times,” Boseman says. “You just feel like you’re closed in. But you get used to it.”
The fierce bodysuit reveals every muscle on the star’s physique. Bose- man has shown impressive athletic prowess as baseball star Jackie Robinson in 42 and music legend James Brown in Get On Up, but he had to train full-on for Black Panther. role.
“I’ve had to train to a certain level. But not to look like I do in this movie,” says Boseman, who worked with three trainers.
Just putting the suit on each day was exercise. “It is extremely hard to get into,” Boseman says.
“It used to take three people in addition to me to get into the outfit,” he says. With practice, “now it’s just one person who’s really strong, with strong hands, to get it on quickly. That used to take about 30 minutes; now we’ve done it in less than 15. But by that time, you’re already sweating.”
The workouts continued even when Boseman went in front of the cameras.
“The suit requires a certain type of endurance just to wear it,” he says. “It’s heavy. It’s hot. It’s like a big resistance band, making it hard to move your arms and legs. It’s almost like wearing weights and doing everything with them on.”
When Boseman or his stunt double wore the suit, Coogler would demand full action.
“But in between takes, they’d take their time, save their energy,” Coogler says. “It’s tough. But that’s the nature of the beast.”