One of the biggest and most unexpected tragedies of 2020 was the loss of Chadwick Boseman, a creative whose powerhouse performances in all kinds of films, from mega-blockbusters to smaller independent productions, helped cement his legacy as one of the best modern-day actors. One of his most defining performances was that of T’Challa/The Black Panther, introduced in Captain America: Civil War and would eventually have a solo film in 2018, Black Panther, directed by Ryan Coogler. The Marvel Blockbuster was Coogler’s biggest film to date, making any pressure surrounding the production completely understandable. Now, Coogler has revealed some advice from Boseman during filming that helped him keep perspective.
During an appearance on Amy Poehler’s podcast, Good Hang, Coogler explained:
“When I look back at my relationship with him, it taught me so much. But the biggest thing is to not take things for granted. Even all of this, the success of [Coogler’s new film, Sinners]… doing awards press with my cast. Before losing him, I would not be present in those moments. I would be overwhelmed or considering it to be work, or dealing with impostor syndrome. When I would be stressed on Panther, I would say, ‘Man, I have to hurry up and do this, or I’m going to get fired.’ [Boseman] would say, ‘Hey, man, stop saying that.”
Boseman’s calming presence and reassurance was what helped Coogler to complete the film. As the Sinners director told Poehler, “[Boseman] actually pulled me to the side and was like, ‘Yo, stop saying that, man.” Despite Coogler’s fears that he would lose his job due to inadequacy, Boseman helped him stay present on set, with Coogler quoting Boseman as saying, “Yo, I’m not going to let anything happen to you… I’m not letting nobody fire you, bro, [so] please stop saying that. Relax, man. Do your work, enjoy it.”
Chadwick Boseman’s Advice Carried Over into Ryan Coogler’s Subsequent Films
Black Panther would turn out to be a massive box office success and cultural phenomenon, becoming the second highest-grossing film of that year (only behind Avengers: Infinity War), as well as becoming the highest rated MCU movie on the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes. With an impressive 96% certified fresh rating, the movie still stands tall 8 years later as one of the best ever produced by Marvel Studios. Moreover, the Awards recognition it would receive that season, with several nominations, helped solidify it as not just a good comic book film, but a fantastic film in general.
Thankfully, Coogler has continued to take Boseman’s advice to stay grounded and present in his work. In spite of the massive challenges surrounding the production of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever following Boseman’s passing, and the personal emotional struggles of the cast and crew, Coogler was able to complete the film in the late actor’s memory. That impressive work ethic has continued with Sinners, one of the biggest releases of 2025, and will hopefully carry over into the third Black Panther film, which Coogler has already confirmed to be working on as his next project and even a potential production start date.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
