Viola Davis Recalled Feeling 'Judgemental' Of Chadwick Boseman On The Set Of The Last Movie He Ever Made — And It's A Lesson To Us All
Viola Davis 's heartbreaking story about working with the late Chadwick Boseman is a good reminder to think before you judge.
In 2019, Viola and Chadwick were together filming the movie adaptation of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, which came out in 2020 and earned them both Oscar nominations the following year.
In a new interview with the Times, Viola recalled that Chadwick received extra attention on set, like his then-girlfriend, Simone Ledward Boseman, and his makeup artist rubbing his back and playing meditative music.
Looking back, Viola said she couldn't help but raise eyebrows at Chadwick's special treatment. 'There was a part of me that was a little judgmental — why do you need all that,' she recalled of her costar. 'Little did I know that they were doing it because he was dying,' she added.
As I'm sure you know, Chadwick tragically died of colon cancer in August 2020 when he was 43 years old, meaning Ma Rainey's Black Bottom was his last ever film. In a statement at the time of his death, it was shared that he had privately been undergoing cancer treatment for four years — while also still managing to make movies.
Chadwick was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer in 2016, which eventually progressed to stage four. While managing chemotherapy and 'countless surgeries,' Chadwick worked on tons of films, like 21 Bridges, Da 5 Bloods, and, of course, Black Panther.
As Viola's story illustrates, Chadwick's death was a huge shock, even to those who worked closely with him. Notably, Black Panther director Ryan Coogler heartbreakingly recalled in 2022 that he was so shocked by Chadwick's passing that he called Denzel Washington — who was a producer on Ma Rainey's Black Bottom — to check it wasn't an awful hoax.
'I got a call from my manager, Charles King. He called and told me, and I didn't want to believe it, so I called Denzel, and I spoke to him, and we thought it might be a rumor, so I texted Chad,' he remembered. 'I was in denial.'
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