Black Panther 2: Lupita Nyong’o Shares Chadwick Boseman Lessons for Wakanda Forever

While Marvel fans are eagerly anticipating the arrival of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in theaters next week, it’s an excitement that is bittersweet with the absence of Chadwick Boseman. The Black Panther star sadly died in 2020 after a private battle with cancer, but even though the actor is no longer with us, his presence continues to be felt with the upcoming sequel and now, Lupita Nyong’o opens up about the lessons she learned from Boseman that she brought with her to Wakanda Forever.

“When I knew we were going to be making this movie, I was thinking a lot about Chadwick Boseman and what he taught me in his life, and I was thinking about how he showed up every day 100% despite what he was going through in his personal life, gave it his all,” Nyong’o told Phase Zero‘s Aaron Perine. “And I really wanted to take that into the spirit of how I approached this film and it worked out for me because Nakia was also extremely calming. So, to embody that, I just would meditate on being open hearted and present every day. And it was very, very helpful because you know, you can sweat the small stuff, but it’s so much easier when you don’t.”

Nyong’o also said that there was some beauty in making the film because the cast was still in their grieving process for Boseman, something that translated to the heightened emotions on screen.

“The beauty of this film is that it’s art imitating life,” she said. “So, we were very much going through the grieving process of losing Chadwick in real time. So, those more emotional scenes were actually easier to film than the others because those emotions were already there, and it was a chance for them just to be expressed.”

What Has the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Cast Said About Chadwick Boseman’s Passing?

Letitia Wright, who plays Shuri, recently spoke with The Playlist about continuing the story of Black Panther without Boseman. 

“It was hard for me to imagine being on set without my brother. It was something I was battling for months,” Wright revealed. “The confidence that Ryan [Coogler] felt that he heard Chadwick just give him that gentle push forward, to continue. And the way that Ryan would express that it was bigger than all of us, and Chad would have wanted us to continue. That really encouraged me. I have so much confidence. I love Ryan.” Wright added, “I can’t wait for you guys to see the film and how we honored Chad in a beautiful way.”

Director Ryan Coogler has also opened up about the decision to not recast the role of Black Panther, noting how they were simply following in the footsteps of how Boseman lived his life.

“It’s complicated, it’s complicated,” Coogler told Deadline. “What I will say, Chadwick was all about pushing things forward while being aware of took place behind him. That concept is kind of one of the things that I always hold in terms of lessons from him. He was also so so so brilliant at understanding moments, understanding the moment that he was in. So that’s what I was trying to do, I was trying to channel him in terms of going through this process. Understanding that we had to keep moving forward even though we lost him in a physical sense. He was a giant of a man; the screen couldn’t contain him. To watch his movies is to only know a piece of him. We felt so fortunate to know the whole guy and we’re trying to honor him on this one.”

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will open in movie theaters on November 11.