Black Panther franchise star Lupita Nyong’o shares her happiest memory of the late Chadwick Boseman on the third anniversary of his untimely passing.
Lupita Nyong’o remembers Chadwick Boseman
Per Entertainment Weekly, Nyong’o shared a photo of the original Black Panther actor in 2018 during a press tour in South Korea for the Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbuster. “Three years ago today, I experienced a singular pain at the news of [Chadwick Boseman]’s death,” Nyong’o said in the post. “The confusion was so profound that it took months to trust the feeling of joy again.”
Nyong’o, who played the titular character’s love interest Nakia in the Black Panther movies, continued by explaining what made this one particular image of Boseman so special and unique. “This is a photo I took on film at the airport as we arrived in South Korea in 2018. We had just learned to do the baby heart with our fingers. Here Chadwick was adding his suave flare. We spent a glorious 72 hours there, and the memory fills me with so much joy.”
Boseman reached superstar status worldwide when Black Panther was released in 2018. While Boseman’s role as T’Challa made subsequent MCU appearances in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, the actor was in the middle of a private battle with colon cancer. Boseman was set to headline Black Panther: Wakanda Forever until his tragic death by the disease on August 28, 2020. Marvel Studios decided not to recast T’Challa for Wakanda Forever and moved forward with the titular character’s sister Shuri (Letitia Wright) taking on the Black Panther mantle.
“Death is hard to understand, maybe even harder to accept,” Nyong’o said. “But the love generated from the life he lived will fuel every anniversary marking his absence. Chadwick may no longer be in our photos, but he will always be in our hearts.”
Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever are now streaming on Disney+.
