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Loss is something that everyone experiences at some point, and its lingering impacts hit differently for all.
During an interview with The Guardian, Letitia Wright addressed the subject of Chadwick Boseman, her Black Panther costar and on-screen brother, passing away back in 2020.
The Guyana-born actress started off by reflecting on the bond she and Chadwick shared. Notably, Letitia spoke on how Chadwick essentially saw her as the sister he never had.
“He doesn’t have sisters, but he would always say if he were to have one it would have to be me because I just connected with him and it was the way God wanted it to be.”
She was sure to also give Chadwick a shoutout for being “a man of faith [who was] respectful of everyone’s religion at the same time” before acknowledging the fateful day that the actor ascended.
The world was shocked when Boseman died back in August 2020, and Wright recounted how she learned the news about her beloved friend’s death.
“I was at home in my apartment in east London. I was by myself. I just woke up and saw an email saying ‘My condolences,’ and I was like, ‘My condolences for what?’ Then I clicked out of that email and kept just seeing Chadwick Boseman, Chadwick Boseman, Chadwick Boseman. I was like, ‘What the hell’s going on?’ I clicked on one, and it was the PR team saying, ‘Do you want to write a statement?’ Statement? What’s going on?”
She continued, noting that she immediately reached out to fellow Black Panther costar Daniel Kaluuya to confirm the matter.
“I was like, ‘Bro, what’s going on?’ And he was silent. And I was like, ‘Bro you have five seconds to tell me this is not true? This is horrible. What’s going on?’ And there was this dead silence, and I was like, ‘I think this is true, but I’m just asking you to tell me that it’s not.’ And he didn’t.”
The loss profoundly “angered” Letitia, who noted that Kaluuya’s “silence spoke so loudly.”
Wright went on to speak on the aftermath of Boseman’s passing. Specifically, she revealed that it caused her to prioritize showering her loved ones with affection while she still can, as she’s “so afraid to lose people” now.
“You don’t know until something happens how it will affect you. You think you have time, and that’s the thing I’ve learned. These things make you realize it’s important to reach out to people you love. The amount of times I text my cast members to tell them I love them, especially Danai [Gurira]. I’m always texting Ryan [Coogler] that I love him and asking him how he is. I’m not going to delay that any more because tomorrow’s not promised. Since Chad died, I’m so afraid to lose people.”
Having to film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever so soon after losing Chadwick also took its toll and presented problems of its own, though Letitia noted that therapy has helped.
“I was devastated, as you can imagine. I’ve had to process it through therapy. It’s not like I had a two-year break to process it and then came back into the film. We had to start six months after Chad died.”
She added that grief was a palpable force while on the Black Panther 2 set. Despite the cast being supportive of one another, Letitia harrowingly said, “Grief was at my doorstep every day while I was filming.”
“It was tough. We had up and down days where you could tell people were grieving. We were able to be there for each other on set and be sensitive to the days when we didn’t feel so good about being on set because you’re missing someone; you’re missing your brother. Grief was at my doorstep every day while I was filming.”
What are your thoughts on Letitia Wright’s comments about Chadwick Boseman’s death?
