Da 5 Blood’s Paul Walter Hauser “Eternally Grateful” He Got to Be in a Film with Chadwick Boseman

Ahead of his turn as Horace in Disney’s Cruella, actor Paul Walter Hauser took on a role in Da 5 Bloods, the latest outing from iconic filmmaker Spike Lee. Not only is Da 5 Bloods an incredible film, but it will also be remembered by many as one of the final on-screen appearances of the late Chadwick Boseman, who passed away last year after a battle with colon cancer. Boseman played the leader of the Bloods, Stormin’ Norman, back when they were fighting in Vietnam. While the character died in the war decades before the movie takes place, he’s present in a series of flashbacks throughout the film, as well as in the visions of Delroy Lindo’s Paul.

Hauser played a character that only appeared in the modern day scenes, so he and Boseman never actually shared the screen together, but he still feels honored to have been in the same movie as the legendary Black Panther. During an interview with ComicBook.com‘s Jamie Jirak, Hauser talked about his experience working with Spike Lee, and seeing Boseman at the midway point of the production.

“You know what, I enjoyed that process because I love Spike and it was an important story to tell,” Hauser said. “But it was also pretty grueling. The weather was quite hot. Lots of bugs. A lot of the crew didn’t speak English. And I ended up getting a bacterial infection and going to the hospital the last week of filming.”

“It was pretty exhausting, but I’m proud of the movie. And the only time I saw Chadwick was at a party that Spike threw at this restaurant bar place,” he continued. “And it was kind of like a midway party to break up the shoot for everybody. And Chadwick was there, but I remember him looking really gaunt, really thin, and depleted of energy, kind of like this at a table, and at times resting his head on his arms. And so I didn’t even walk up and say hello because he just looked so tired. I didn’t want to bother him. But I’m eternally grateful that I got to share the screen with him to some degree. And he’s left us quite a legacy that Disney’s keeping alive with Black Panther.”

Boseman’s final film role came in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award. Marvel and Disney are proceeding with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which will honor the legacy of Boseman and his on-screen hero, King T’Challa.