Ryan Coogler is remembering his Black Panther leading man, Chadwick Boseman, years after his tragic demise. The filmmaker talked about how the actor’s words had a deep impact on his life.
Ryan Coogler explains how Chadwick Boseman’s advice impacted him
In his appearance on the Good Hang podcast by Amy Poehler, Ryan Coogler opened up about his bond with Chadwick Boseman. The director stated, “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.” Coogler further added, “Even all of this, Amy — the success of [Coogler’s new film, Sinners], being invited to the podcast with you, doing awards press with my cast.”
“Before losing him, I would not be present in those moments,” he shared. The Sinners director continued, “I would be overwhelmed or considering it to be work, or dealing with imposter syndrome.” However, Coogler’s self-doubt behavior has changed after losing his Black Panther icon because Boseman “would be the one” to bring him out of that.
Coogler also revelead how the late actor offered him emotional support throughout the making of the Marvel film. The 39-year-old further explained, “When I would be stressed on Panther, I would say, ‘Man, I gotta hurry up and do this or I’m gonna get fired.” On the other hand, Boseman “would say, ‘Hey, man, stop saying that.” Coogler continued, “He actually pulled me to the side and was like, ‘Yo, stop saying that, man.'”
He added, “I’m like, ‘No, I truly believe that. He was like, ‘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.”
He shared that “that very act of being present” helped him deal with pressure and finish the film. He also told the host, “I think about that all the time. Even walking in here with you. Just being present — I literally learned that from him.”
Originally reported by Ritika Singh on ComingSoon.
