British-Ugandan actor Daniel Kaluuya in a recent interview showered praises on Chadwick Boseman when he was asked about meeting the deceased Black Panther star. Kaluuya, 35, touched on his relationship with Boseman and various other topics during a BFI London Film Festival event on Wednesday, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Boseman tragically passed away on August 28, 2020, at the age of 43 after battling colon cancer. Prior to his death, the Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom star’s medical condition was not publicly known.
Kaluuya and Boseman starred in Marvel’s box-office hit movie Black Panther. Kaluuya played W’Kabi, the head of security for Wakanda’s Border Tribe and King T’Challa’s best friend.
“Meeting Chad was a pivotal moment in my life,” Kaluuya told fellow actor and long-time friend Ashley Walters when he was asked about coming into contact with Boseman.
“I remember we had a dinner, and I sat opposite him. He could see my life was changing, and I didn’t know. He leaned in — and I was about to go on a press run, and I didn’t have a publicist [Laughs]. He leaned in and saw I needed help and guidance, and I didn’t have to ask. And I didn’t know how to ask.”
“He big bro-ed me, he helped me out,” he added. “Then Get Out came out, and he did a speech on my birthday, it was so poignant. He was an incredible leader on set, and I really felt for him because doing those Marvel things, that’s work. That’s hard. Especially doing the action sequences in those suits in hot weather, it’s hard on the body… Knowing that he did that while he was going through what he was going through, I don’t really have the words for it.
“He just gave everything, he led in a very noble way. He always brought people together… He always had time for everyone. Him and Lupita [Nyong’o], they were always back and forth, and they just knew that my life was changing.”
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Kaluuya shot into superstardom after his 2017 breakout film, Get Out. His standout performance in the psychological horror film paved the way for him to land roles in other popular movies including Black Panther, Nope, and Judas and the Black Messiah. He also made a name for himself in Judas and the Black Messiah as he won an Oscar, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a BAFTA Award for his role in the movie.
During the interview, Kaluuya also spoke about the pressure that comes with representing the Black community in the entertainment industry. “When I play a role, I do think, what am I saying to people? [Judas and the Black Messiah] was a big one,” he said, per The Hollywood Reporter.
“Someone once said something like, ‘Our job is to rescue wisdom from the past.’ I felt that when I read this script… But yeah, I do feel responsible in a good way. I want to make sure the stuff I do resonates with the people that speak to me or look at me.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Kaluuya touched on how shooting a movie in the U.S. is not the same as filming in the U.K., highlighting that there’s more anxiety in America because of its health insurance policies. The National Health Service provides free healthcare to residents in the U.K.
“The big one is health insurance, to be honest, there’s much more anxiety in America because there’s a lot on the line… [In the U.K.] I think there is a better work-life balance,” Kaluuya said.
“And that’s why I fell in love with this industry,” he added. “This job is to work with a team of people, have a laugh and have something to be proud of. Yeah. In America, you work a bit more by yourself, or the director. It’s very much cut off. And if you then move like you’re cool with everyone, everyone looks at you a bit weird. But I do think the opportunities in America are incredible… There are pros and cons to both.”
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