Denzel Washington Remembers Chadwick Boseman Years After Paying for His Acting Program

‘Black Panther’ Cast and More Stars Mourn Death of Chadwick Bose…

'NCIS' Stars Vanessa Lachey, LL Cool J, Chris O'Donnell and More…

'The Playboy Murders’: Holly Madison Dives Into Previously Untol…

'The Price of Glee' Biggest Revelations About Lea Michele, Cory …

Inside ‘The Daily Show’s Rotating Panel of Guest Hosts: Chelsea …

Martha Stewart Shares Her Celebrity Crush and More in a Game of …

TLC's Chilli and Matthew Lawrence Dating After His Split From Ch…

Ken Block, Racecar Driver and DC Shoes Co-Founder, Dead at 55 Af…

Sherri Shepherd Recalls Barbara Walters Fighting to Cast Her on …

Skip Bayless Emotionally Speaks Out Following Damar Hamlin Comme…

Angela Bassett's Son Shares an Apology After Michael B. Jordan T…

Damar Hamlin: Medical Expert Gives Insight Into Athlete’s Condit…

'90 Day Fiancé': Big Ed’s Ex Rose Exposes Him for His Alleged Li…

'Varsity Blues' Mastermind Rick Singer Sentenced to 3.5 Years in…

Khloé Kardashian Shuts Down Accusations She Does Weight-Loss Inj…

'80 For Brady’: Behind the Scenes With Jane Fonda, Tom Brady and…

Jeremy Renner Takes His First Shower in a Week Amid ICU Hospital…

Kim Kardashian and North West Dance to Taylor Swift, Sing About …

Why Julie Chrisley Appears in Denial About Prison Time
Chadwick Boseman and Denzel Washington shared a special connection even before the Black Panther star made it big. Boseman died on Friday after a four-year battle with colon cancer. He was 43.
Following news of his death, Washington honored the late actor, whom he helped pay for his acting program years before Boseman made a name for himself in Hollywood.
"He was a gentle soul and a brilliant artist, who will stay with us for eternity through his iconic performances over his short yet illustrious career. God bless Chadwick Boseman," the Oscar winner expressed in a statement given to ET.
In a 2018 Rolling Stone interview, Boseman revealed that Washington helped pay for his and a couple of other Howard University students' acting programs at England's Oxford University. The Cosby Show star Phylicia Rashad was one of Boseman's professors and had reached out to celebrity friends, including Washington, to ask to sponsor students.
After news broke, in a 2018 interview with Stephen Colbert, Washington joked that he expected the actor to pay him back.
Boseman also thanked Washington in a speech during the Malcolm X star's American Film Institute’s Lifetime Achievement Award ceremony in 2019.
“Many of you already know the story that Mr. Washington, when asked by Phylicia Rashad to join her in assisting nine theater students from Howard University who had been accepted to a summer acting program at the British Academy of Dramatic Acting in Oxford, gracefully and privately agreed to contribute," Boseman recalled. "As fate would have it, I was one of the students that he paid for…Imagine receiving the letter that your tuition for that summer was paid for and that your benefactor was none other than the dopest actor on the planet.”
"There is no Black Panther without Denzel Washington," he noted.
Washington, meanwhile, also served as producer on one of Boseman's final films before his death, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. Upon news of his death, Netflix canceled a Monday preview of the movie, which is set to be released later this year.
Directed by George C. Wolfe, the drama is based on the play of the same name by August Wilson, and tells the story of "Mother of the Blues" Ma Rainey (Viola Davis) during a 1927 recording session.
"Chicago, 1927. A recording session. Tensions rise between Ma Rainey, her ambitious horn player and the white management determined to control the uncontrollable 'Mother of the Blues,'" the logline reads.
Davis also took to Instagram to express her heartbreak over Boseman's death, writing, "Chadwick.....no words to express my devastation of losing you. Your talent, your spirit, your heart, your authenticity........It was an honor working beside you, getting to know you....Rest well prince...May flights of angels sing thee to thy heavenly rest. I love you! 💛💛💛. My heart cannot take 2020! Please God no more!!!"
Boseman's other Ma Rainey's other co-stars, Colman Domingo, Taylour Paige and Glynn Turman, also honored the late actor on their social media.
Additionally, Ted Sarandos, Netflix Co-CEO and Chief Content Officer, also said in a statement: "Chadwick was a superhero on screen and in life, and it’s impossible to imagine working at the level he has while valiantly battling his illness. His legacy as a person and an artist will inspire millions. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family during this difficult time."
For more on Boseman's death, see below.
RELATED CONTENT:
A Look Back at Chadwick Boseman's Most Inspiring Movie Roles
Chadwick Spoke With Kids With Cancer About Black Panther's Impact
Chadwick Boseman, 'Black Panther' Star, Dead at 43
Related Gallery