Viola Davis Says Chadwick Boseman Was 'Not Interested in Being a Movie Star'

Chadwick Boseman was in the acting profession for the art according to Viola Davis. She talked to Oprah Winfrey fro talk about Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and her career. People obtained an exclusive clip where she praised the Black Panther star for his integrity. She argued that the virtue was in short supply these days, and lauded Boseman for his art-first approach to making films. In the past, Davis has also mentioned that other actors might not have been down to be a character like Levee on-screen. If you think about it, the Marvel actor was one of the most beloved performers on the planet. In the same position, multiple stars would have passed on a flawed character. But, that's what separated Boseman from his contemporaries: He was always willing to go there, even when it became a little strange.

"What I'll remember about his legacy is his integrity, and I know people say that so often," she began. "They dole that out just like they dole out the word brilliant. But,there's not a lot of integrity out there. I think it takes a lot of courage to be authentic. Like they say, 'Courage is just fear said with prayers.' I just felt that he was not interested in being a movie star as much as he was concerned with being a really great artist."

Ryan Coogler recently told The Hollywood Reporter about his feelings surrounding Black Panther 2 after Boseman's passing. The director is adamant that their star would have wanted this to continue. And with that final guiding knowledge, they press onward.

"I didn't know what was going on," Coogler explained. "I knew what he wanted me to know. I miss him in every way that you could miss somebody, as a friend, as a collaborator. And it sucks because I love watching movies, and I don't get to watch the next thing he would have made. So it's grief on a lot of levels, but then, it's a deep sense of gratitude because I can close my eyes and hear his voice."

"You've got to keep going when you lose loved ones. I know Chad wouldn't have wanted us to stop. He was somebody who was so about the collective. Black Panther, that was his movie. He was hired to play that role before anybody else was even thought of, before I was hired, before any of the actresses were hired," the director remembered. "On that set, he was all about everybody else. Even though he was going through what he was going through, he was checking in on them, making sure they were good. If we cut his coverage, he would stick around and read lines off-camera [to help other actors with their performances]. So it would be harder for me to stop. Truthfully. I'd feel him yelling at me, like, 'What are you doing?' So you keep going."

Did you see Ma Rainey's Black Bottom? Let us know down in the comments!