How Chadwick Boseman “Freaked Out” Disney Execs on Black Panther

Black Panther director Ryan Coogler shares an anecdote about how star Chadwick Boseman “freaked out” Disney executives while making the film. During an appearance on the radio show The Breakfast Club to promote his upcoming movie Sinners, Coogler took the time to talk about the late great Boseman and highlighted the actor’s tremendous work ethic. The filmmaker noted that Boseman was so committed to portraying T’Challa in the Marvel movie that he went the extra mile and continued to immerse himself in his performance even when the cameras weren’t rolling. This included maintaining the character’s distinct accent for the duration of production, which caught Disney executives by surprise.

“He was talking in an African accent,” Coogler said. “Disney execs came to see us on Panther. It was week two and they pulled up and it was the T’Challa accent and they were freaked out. I was like, ‘Don’t be freaked out. He’s working, man. He don’t turn it off until we wrap.’”

After making his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, Boseman headlined 2018’s Black Panther, which ranks among the franchise’s greatest triumphs. Becoming the first superhero film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, Black Panther also broke box office records, grossing $1.3 billion globally. Boseman’s performance as T’Challa was widely acclaimed.

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Boseman reprised T’Challa in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. There were plans for him to return for the Black Panther sequel, but the actor tragically passed away in 2020 following a battle with colon cancer. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the sequel Coogler directed, was reworked to be a tribute to the actor’s legacy.

Coogler’s recollection is just one illustration of why Boseman was perfect for the role of T’Challa. The actor embodied the character’s many traits, crafting a regal and powerful character who commanded the audience’s attention whenever he was on screen. This was a quality Boseman brought to all of his roles, including his magnificent work in films like Da 5 Bloods and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. But T’Challa was undoubtedly Boseman’s career-defining role; he quickly became an icon in the superhero genre thanks to his serious dedication to his craft, and it’s truly tragic his life was cut so short. His death created a void Marvel has arguably been unable to fill in the years since.

Though Coogler collaborated with Boseman on just the first Black Panther film, it’s clear the experience left a profound impact on the director, who learned a lot from his interactions with the actor. Coogler’s relationship with Boseman continues to inform the director’s work to this day. In the interview on The Breakfast Club, Coogler remarked that he and Michael B. Jordan reflected on the lessons Boseman taught them while making Coogler’s upcoming film Sinners. Thanks to his time working alongside Boseman, Jordan found a way to “lock in” for his dual roles as twin brothers in the movie. As Coogler soon moves on to work on Black Panther 3, his time with Boseman will surely be at the forefront of his mind.