It is encouraging to see instances of genuine camaraderie and the value of real mentoring in a field known for its fierce competition. This sentiment was poignantly illustrated when Hollywood legend Denzel Washington extended a kind hand to Chadwick Boseman, an extraordinary talent.
One could argue that Chadwick’s rise to fame was relatively late in life compared to his contemporaries in an era of child stars and the race for early success.
Prior to his tragic death at the age of 43, Boseman was one of Hollywood’s biggest names. He reached new heights and became a legitimate movie star thanks to his roles in several iconic films, including Black Panther. It turns out that Denzel Washington, another important Hollywood figure, helped the late star on his acting journey.
Boseman, a South Carolina native, originally intended to study architecture but changed his mind after being exposed to the arts. His time at Howard University, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in directing, proved to be a profoundly influential experience for the budding artist.
Denzel Washington’s Touching Gesture Changed Chadwick Boseman’s Life
Denzel Washington has invested in up-and-coming, struggling artists as a way of using his talent and wealth for good. In the late 1990s, The Cosby Show actress, Phylicia Rashad taught drama at Howard University in Washington, DC.
A number of her students had been accepted into the prestigious Midsummer Program of the British American Drama Academy, but they could not afford the tuition. Washington agreed when Rashad asked him to assist her with covering their expenses.
Chadwick Boseman was one of those students, who honored Washington at an American Film Institute ceremony, saying:
“Imagine receiving the letter that your tuition for that summer was paid for and that your benefactor was none other than the dopest actor on the planet. I have no doubt that there are similar stories in Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs and theaters and churches across the country…There is no ‘Black Panther’ without Denzel Washington … The many sacrifices [he] made for the culture on film sets through [his] career, the things [he] refused to compromise along the way laid the blueprints for us to follow.”
The Mississippi Masala actor also significantly impacted Boseman’s life, as he told CBS Sunday Morning:
“I used to watch how [Taylor Simone Ledward] took care of him, and I actually said to him, I said, ‘Man, you know, you need to put a ring on that finger.’”
Boseman must have agreed because his marriage to Taylor Simone Ledward was disclosed in his death announcement.
Denzel Washington Funded The Oxford Education Of The Black Panther Star
Chadwick Boseman, Black Panther star might owe some of his success to Denzel Washington, an Oscar winner.
Boseman and a few of his classmates applied to a prestigious summer theater program at The University of Oxford in the late 1990s while they were students at Howard University. Despite being allowed entry, the students’ expenses prevented them from attending.
Boseman told Rolling Stone that Phylicia Rashad, one of their acting instructors at Howard, “pushed for us”.
“She essentially got some celebrity friends to pay for us to go.”
He did not learn who paid for the program until he received a beneficiary letter following the completion of the program:
“Denzel paid for me. I’m sure he has no idea. … I’ve been waiting to meet him, so I can tell him.”
Boseman thanked Washington in writing, but he kept the letter a secret from the rest of the world for 20 years. On The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, he told the host that he did not want the Malcolm X actor to feel as though he owed him anything else:
“I’ve basically been holding this secret my whole career.”
Prior to making a statement, Boseman wished to meet Washington in person. Although he had not met him before the Rolling Stone interview, as the late actor told Fallon:
“I think I’ve made it to the point where he’s not going to think I’m trying to get something from him by saying it.”
Boseman died at home in Los Angeles on August 28, 2020, from complications related to colon cancer, with his wife by his side.
Stream Black Panther on Disney Plus.
Source- CBS Sunday Morning
