A new report suggests very few outside of his immediate family, not even the cast and crew of Black Panther, knew that Chadwick Boseman was ill.
A report suggests that very few outside of his immediate family, not even the cast and crew of Black Panther, knew that Chadwick Boseman was ill.. The passing of the 43-year-old actor last month shocked the world, a fact made even more shocking when it was revealed he had been silently battling colon cancer in private for the past four years. Fans and colleagues reacted in shock and surprise to the news, given that Boseman had been able to perform as King T'Challa in four MCU movies all while fighting the illness that eventually took his life.
Tributes to the actor have poured in from all quarters, with most rightly focusing on his real-life acts of heroism, rather than his on-screen exploits. Co-stars like Michael B. Jordan have said he'll use Boseman's example of living with "grace, courage, and no regrets" as a template for his own life going forward. Veteran South African stage and screen actor John Kani, who played Boseman's onscreen father King T'Chaka and whose Xhosa accent inspired the accents used by the Wakandans in the MCU, also paid tribute to Boseman's presence and focus while working with him.
A report from The Hollywood Reporter says that only a few key people outside of Boseman's immediate family were even aware of him battling colon cancer while he was working the MCU. The report cites a Disney source, who says that even Marvel Studio head Kevin Feige was caught by surprise, receiving an urgent email telling him to contact Boseman's reps just an hour before the Black Panther star passed away.
Apparently, besides his family, only Boseman's producing partner, agent and Brian Helgeland, his director on the Jackie Robinson biopic 42, knew about his illness. If true, it's another remarkable reflection of Boseman's strength and determination to be able to perform in high pressure roles on major blockbusters without revealing his private struggle to anyone, not even his directors or close co-stars. Boseman reportedly wanted it that way, preferring to battle with the support of his family, and away from the limelight.
The report is backed up by Ryan Coogler's tribute to Boseman, which confirmed that the Black Panther director hadn't known that was Boseman was ill during their time working together. As Coogler said, by choosing to shield his collaborators from his battle, he was making an incredibly brave and honorable decision, allowing his work to speak for itself rather than letting the public's opinion of him be swayed by knowledge of his illness.
Source: THR
