Chadwick Boseman Tribute: Danai Gurira Opens Up About 'Hard Days' On 'Black Panther 2' Set
The cast of “Black Panther” and its sequel continues to honor and remember Chadwick Boseman.
On Monday, Danai Gurira spoke to Variety about their film’s second installment, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” at the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con. She revealed that it was often emotional on the set following the loss of the co-star.
It came after the interviewer asked about what it meant to have the upcoming film being a tribute and honor to Chadwick Boseman. The actress who plays Okoye in the franchise began her statements by saying, “It was everything,” according to Cheat Sheet.
The outlet quoted her, saying, “We did not know when and how it was gonna hit us. It hit us in various ways and at various moments.”
It continues, “There was a very hard day I had on set and [Dominique Thorne] was there for me. You just never knew when it was just going to be a really hard day.”
Gurira, who was with Thorne at the time, consequently touted her new co-stars “support” for them. She deemed them “amazing,” adding that they are their “new family.”
The “Walking Dead” star later pointed out that they “got [a] great new family” with the new cast members for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” She added that the actors and actresses “understood they were in a place where grief was happening and they held us up.”
Chadwick Boseman passed away in August 2020. He died of cancer at the age of 43, with BBC noting that he was diagnosed in 2016 but had not made the information public.
In an official statement posted on the “21 Bridges” actor’s social media accounts, the public learned that he passed away “at home in Los Angeles with his wife and family by his side.”
It also reads, “A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all, and brought you many of the films you have to love so much,” and adds, “It was the honor of his career to bring King T’Challa to life in ‘Black Panther.’”
Meanwhile, this was not the first time Danai Gurira talked about Chadwick Boseman and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”
At the 2022 Met Gala, which occurred earlier in May, the 44-year-old actress spoke to Variety on the red carpet about the matter. She discussed how the upcoming Marvel title would honor her late co-star and his legacy.
Gurira stated that they “poured everything” they had into the film, noting that the material “tells a very heart-wrenching story.” She also shared that the sequel is all about Boseman and an “outpouring to love and honor” the actor.