Daniel Kaluuya will always be grateful to the late Chadwick Boseman for “big bro-ing” him.
The Get Out actor struck up a friendship with the late star — who died of colon cancer in 2020 at 43 — when they worked together on Black Panther, and the Kitchen director admitted meeting his pal proved to be a “pivotal moment” in his life.
“Meeting Chad was a pivotal moment in my life,” Kaluuya said to Ashley Walters at a BFI London Film Festival event on Oct. 9.
“I remember we had a dinner, and I sat opposite him,” the Judas and the Black Messiah star recalled. “He could see my life was changing, and I didn’t know. He leaned in — and I was about to go on a press run, and I didn’t have a publicist. He leaned in and saw I needed help and guidance, and I didn’t have to ask. And I didn’t know how to ask. He big bro-ed me; he helped me out.”
“Then Get Out came out, and he did a speech on my birthday. It was so poignant,” Kaluuya said.
The Nope actor went on to praise his late pal for how well he led the Black Panther cast.
“He was an incredible leader on set, and I really felt for him because doing those Marvel things,” he added. “That’s work; that’s hard. Especially doing the action sequences in those suits in hot weather, it’s hard on the body … Knowing that he did that while he was going through what he was going through, I don’t really have the words for it.”
“He just gave everything; he led in a very noble way,” Kaluuya stated. “He always brought people together … He always had time for everyone. Him and Lupita [Nyong’o], they were always back and forth, and they just knew that my life was changing.”
Kaluuya also admitted he feels a responsibility to the Black community when it comes to the projects he takes on.
“When I play a role, I do think, what am I saying to people? [‘Judas and the Black Messiah’] was a big one,” he said.
“Someone once said something like, ‘Our job is to rescue wisdom from the past.’ I felt that when I read this script … But yeah, I do feel responsible in a good way,” Kaluuya concluded. “I want to make sure the stuff I do resonates with the people that speak to me or look at me.”
