Denzel Washington pays tribute to Chadwick Boseman
Denzel and Chadwick's relationship started years before the 'Black Panther' star became famous. He once secretly paid for Chad's acting classes.
Denzel Washington has remembered Chadwick Boseman as a "brilliant artist with a gentle soul".
The 'Black Panther' star died on Friday after losing his four-year battle with colon cancer. The actor kept his diagnosis a secret and worked on his movie projects in between chemo treatments.
Long before Chadwick became a household name, Denzel helped him with his tuition fees for an acting class. When the '21 Bridges' actor was a student at Howard University, he applied to attend a summer acting program at the British Academy of Dramatic Acting in Oxford.
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Denzel was the secret benefactor who paid for Chadwick and several other students' fees for the classes.
The 43-year-old spoke about Denzel's kind gesture while honouring him at his AFI Life Achievement Award tribute last year.
"There is no 'Black Panther' without Denzel Washington. And not just because of me, but my whole cast, that generation, stands on your shoulders,” Chadwick said.
this tribute to Denzel Washington by Chadwick Boseman for once paying for his tuition fees is so powerful.
— Bongekile Z. Radebe (@BongiZ_Radebe) August 29, 2020
“an offering by a sage and king is more than silver and gold. it is a seed of hope, a bud of faith...there is no Black Panther without Denzel Washington” 😭❤️ pic.twitter.com/K0mR81iXp8
Denzel joined scores of stars in remembering the talented actor following news of his death.
"He was a gentle soul and a brilliant artist, who will stay with us for eternity through his iconic performances over his short yet illustrious career. God bless Chadwick Boseman," Entertainment Tonight quoted him as saying in a statement.
Chadwick's relationship with his 'Black Panther' co-star Angela Bassett also has an interesting backstory.
"During the premiere party for Black Panther, Chadwick reminded me of something. He whispered that when I received my honorary degree from Howard University, his alma mater, he was the student assigned to escort me that day. And here we were, years later as friends and colleagues, enjoying the most glorious night ever!" Angela captioned a picture from the premiere.
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