We’re now over a month out from Chadwick Boseman‘s untimely death and many are still coming to terms with the loss. The Black Panther star was a hero to his fans, admired within the entertainment industry and seemed to have a long and glittering career ahead of him. Over the past few weeks, we’ve heard from his colleagues and friends, with a recent highlight being Sienna Miller revealing that Boseman took a pay cut to ensure wage equality between them on 21 Bridges.
Now, his brothers Kevin and Derrick have spoken up for the first time since his death. In an interview with The New York Times, they discussed the man behind the movie star and among other things, Kevin explained that they considered ‘Chadwick Boseman’ as somewhat artificial, as to them he’ll always just be ‘Chad.’
“I have been trying to remember Chad and not Chadwick. And there’s just been a lot of Chadwick in the air. When someone is a celebrity you have to start sharing that person with the world; I always endeavored to just treat him like my brother.”
Derrick then went on to talk about Boseman’s upbringing, saying that he brought respect and confidence to his small hometown of Anderson, South Carolina.
“Him being born there is an inspiration that you can come from there and become anything.”
He also spoke about the extended Boseman family, explaining that their parents had roots in the town for generations and that they had a combined 25 siblings, making Sunday dinners a huge social gathering. Despite recognizing their brother’s talents at an early age (Derrick describes him as “probably the most gifted person I’ve ever met”), though, the family was initially skeptical about him taking on an artistic career.
But Kevin explains that their father encouraged his children to simply do their best at whatever they chose in life and that while they didn’t predict that Boseman would become quite so famous, they knew that he’d at least be able to live off his talents.
“A lot of people think making it means becoming an A-list movie star. I didn’t force that. I just knew that if Chad wanted to work in the arts, he would find a way and take care of himself.”
Finally, Derrick revealed his conversation with his brother the day before he died, with Chadwick telling him: “Man, I’m in the fourth quarter, and I need you to get me out of the game.”
“When he told me that, I changed my prayer from, ‘God heal him, God save him,’ to ‘God, let your will be done,’ and the next day he passed away.”
RIP Chadwick Boseman.
