Netflix is honoring Chadwick Boseman today, August 17, with the release of the special documentary Chadwick Boseman: Portrait of an Artist. The limited-edition viewing will run for 30-days and is billed as an “intimate look” at the Black Panther star’s impact on Hollywood and features interviews with a few of his creative collaborators.
In the documentary Viola Davis, Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Phylicia Rashad and more movie royals discuss Boseman’s commitment to the craft of acting and how his talents made them step up their games when they worked with him. Boseman is also nominated for the Oscar for Best Actor this year thanks to his performance in the Netflix original drama Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. He’s already won the Screen Actors Guild Award, the Gotham Award, the Critic’s Choice Award, and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for the performance.
Boseman died in August 2020 after a multi-year battle with colon cancer which he never disclosed while filming any of his projects. He persevered through his illness and pain and continued to shoot until his death. Glynn Turman, Branford Marsalis, Reginald Hudlin and James Brown’s Get On Up biopic director Tate Taylor arlso discuss their relationships with Boseman.
“Chadwick was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer in 2016, and battled with it these last four years as it progressed to stage five,” Boseman’s family stated at the time of his death to the media. “A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all, and brought you many of the films you have come to love so much. From Marshall to Da 5 Bloods, August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and more were filmed while the actor underwent chemotherapy and numerous surgeries. It was the honor of his career to bring King T’Challa to life in Black Panther.”
Take a look at the trailer of Chadwick Boseman: Portrait of an Artist on the following page.
