Winston Duke stars as M'Baku in 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever'. Image Source: THR
Winston Duke on how the actors dealt with the passing away of Chadwick Boseman and being on the sets of "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever."
Winston Duke, who stars as M’Baku in ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever', shared during an interview on the Jemele Hill is Unbothered podcast that Chadwick Boseman’s death two years ago continues to affect them, and working on the sequel movie without him was hard.
Winston said that they say they suffer with it every day on set because the absence of his presence left a huge hole in their hearts. They add that they struggle with it every day. Winston Duke described Chadwick Boseman as a really benign presence of strength, power, and scope.
The actor continued that everyone knew that Chadwick Boseman was there on the set, but he did not have to say anything to make his presence felt or walk around with a big ego. He added that people don’t realize their impact when they are there, but when they are not there, it’s apparent and one could feel it intrinsically. That was the experience on set daily for a year, clarifying that the set for the sequel was different compared to the first movie in which Chadwick Boseman starred as King T’Challa and Black Panther.
When asked about the actor's recasting, Winston Duke responded that he finds it difficult to comment on such matters because, in his opinion, Chadwick Boseman created the character of King T'Challa, and without him, Black Panther wouldn't be the same. Winston noted that when someone casts a person, they are also casting their experiences, their politics, and all of those things. Chadwick Boseman stood up for the causes that his character did, according to Winston. The actor went on to say that Black Panther was defined by the person who played it, and in his opinion, the choice to leave T'Challa as Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa was one that a has a lot of nobility in it.
Ryan Coogler, director and co-writer of the movie, said that other actors who worked on the movie felt the same way as he did and added that he thinks that this movie has the fog of loss over it and anamorphic lenses wrap the image a little bit. He added that sometimes when one goes through a profound loss, it can change how one looks at the world. He described the filmmaking process as cathartic, especially as a way to connect with the cast and crew who were also grieving the loss of Chadwick.
The director told Entertainment Weekly that they just wanted it to feel tactile, even if it felt like a dream, and that they wanted the movie to have the sensation of a truly outlandish dream that anyone might have but with everything feeling authentic. The world was shocked by his terrible and untimely death in 2020, following a private fight with stage III colon cancer.
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige recently shared during an interview with Empire that the recasting of Chadwick Boseman’s character felt like it was much too soon. He went on to say that Marvel Legend Stan Lee often claimed that Marvel reflects the world beyond the window, and they discussed how everything they do has a relatable and human quality despite how spectacular and surreal their characters and tales are.
Kevin mentioned that the world is still processing the loss of Chadwick Boseman and Ryan Coogler had shown that in his story and mentioned that the director and co-writer thought of ways to honor and respect the legacy, learning, and teachings of the late actor.
Winston Duke’s podcast interview dropped on the same day as the second trailer of "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" was shared, in which the audience gets to see the Black Panther’s new suit and how the people of Wakanda are going to unite against Namor, played by Tenoch Huerta, leader of the underwater kingdom of Talocan.
The audience is getting more and more excited for the sequel as each day goes by. Not only are they interested in how the tale will end, but they also think that by watching it, they will be able to pay tribute to their favorite actor, Chadwick Boseman, and his legacy.
The Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hits theatres on November 11th.
