In preparation for embodying the late, great James Brown, Get On Up star Chadwick Boseman immersed himself in the character by training five hours a day in order to perfect dance routines and rip-roaring vocals. And this dedication didn’t go unnoticed, as during the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, the actor was honoured for his performance with a prestigious Virtuosos award.
Upon receiving the gong, Boseman took the opportunity to talk to press and, specifically, Collider, who quizzed the up-and-coming actor about his forthcoming debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Black Panther.
You try to tell the Marvel fans that he isn’t real. That’s even more scary. I would rather have something that I can put my whole life into. When you make movies, it’s such an important period of time, when you look back at each one of them. You want to be able to say that you did something that was a challenge and that changed you. For me, that’s all that it’s about. You put that type of energy into each thing, regardless of what it is.
For the uninitiated, Boseman will step into the shoes of T’Challa, a man who would be king born into the tribal region known as Wakanda. However, much like other members of Marvel’s canon, Black Panther’s backstory is not without its dark patches, considering that his mother passed away whilst giving birth. Thereafter, T’Challa grows up in the shadow of his father, T’Chaka, king of the African region. From that point onwards, it’s a rising trajectory for the Marvel persona, not to mention joining The Avengers team — a scenario that the studio will no doubt hope to seed in due time.
Chadwick Boseman will don the superhero guise for Marvel when Black Panther scurries into theaters on November 3, 2017. For now, you can share your thoughts on the studio’s upcoming Phase Three project in the comments section below.
