Chadwick Boseman

 I was watching an old episode of CSI New York the other day, as I was crafting it was more listening to than watching, when a familiar voice caught my attention.  The show was from 2006, and the voice was that of Chadwick Boseman.

He was playing a minor character, a grifter on the street fleecing tourists with his shell game. A much younger version of the actor I had watched the night previously on Amazon Prime in the 2019 movie 21 Bridges.

I’m  a great one for watching the same movies over and over. It’s easier for me as I’m usually crafting and not giving it my full attention. I watched 21Bridges for the first time last summer, shortly before the actor’s sudden death in August. 

Only then did I learn that Chadwick Boseman was a famous and celebrated actor, known for his role as T’Challa, a Marvel superhero in the Black Panther movie. 

He had other memorable roles, playing the characters of Jackie Robinson, James Brown and civil rights lawyer Thurgood Marshall. I remember reading that he was heavy into preparation and research as an essential part of his actor’s process.

I’m not a movie goer, but tend to watch movies on television and now on line. So I am not up to date on what’s been filmed and by whom. And so I’m sorry to say that I never heard of Chadwick Boseman until his untimely demise. 

Everything I heard, and everything I read supported that this man was an incredible actor and an exceptional human being. 

He wanted to increase opportunities for black actors that took them out of the stereotypical role of African American thugs and gang members. He had delved into his own ancestry, back to Nigeria and was proud of his roots.

43 at the time of his death, his passing was a shock because he died of colon cancer, a disease he had been fighting for four years. While making these recent memorable movies he was undergoing cancer treatments unbeknownst to anyone.

I’m sorry I became a fan so late in his career, but will make up for lost time. He will live on in the characters he’s portrayed in film. His passing is truly a loss.