Chadwick Boseman broke down in a 2018 radio interview while talking about two children with terminal cancer who were excited to watch 'Black Panther' but passed away before the movie's release. A clip of the interview resurfaced on Saturday as Boseman's fans came to terms with his death late Friday.
In the interview with SiriusXM, Boseman spoke about how the parents told him the children were trying to "hold on" till 'Black Panther' was released. It was then he realized the two terminally ill children had "anticipated something great."
"Their parents said, 'They're trying to hold on till this movie comes.' To a certain degree, you hear them say that and you're like, 'Wow. I gotta get up and go to the gym. I gotta get up and go to work. I gotta learn these lines. I gotta work on this accent,'" Boseman said at the time. He was accompanied by his 'Black Panther' co-actors for the interview.
Boseman Related to the Children's Anticipation
Fans noted that Boseman's comments particularly hit hard now since it was revealed that the actor was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer and underwent treatment at the time of the interview. He died on Friday after battling with the illness for four years.
In the interview, Boseman continued: "To a certain degree, it's a humbling experience, because you're like, 'This can't mean that much to them.' You know? But seeing how the world has taken this on; seeing how the movement and how it's taken on a life of its own, I realize that they anticipated something great."
The '42' star explained how he could relate to the children's anticipation since he, too, waited excitedly for occasions like Christmas, birthdays, and video games as a child, knowing he would get a chance to experience something good. "I did live life waiting for those moments. And so, it put me back in the mind of being a kid just to experience those two little boys' anticipation of this movie. And when I found out that they...," Boseman said, breaking down recalling the children's deaths. "Yeah, it means a lot."
Boseman's death was announced in a statement posted on his social media accounts. The actor was diagnosed with cancer in 2016 and it progressed to stage four in the following years. Boseman had not made his illness public, which is why his passing away came as a shock to Hollywood and his fans. According to the statement, filmed movies including 'Marshall,' 'Da 5 Bloods' and 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom,' which is slated to be released this year.
