He also paid tribute to the history of Black Panther, which earned a Best Picture Oscar nomination (plus three wins) and grossed $1 billion at the box office, with a predominantly Black cast.
“Simone, you’re with me every day,” Boseman added, reaching out to his girlfriend in the audience. “I have to admit you right now, I love you.”
She blew him a kiss and said “I love you” back.
A few days later, he headed to Southeast Asia to film a small but important role in Spike Lee’s penultimate film, Da 5 Bloods.
“I didn’t know Chad was sick,” Lee told Variety in fall 2020. “He wasn’t feeling well, but I had no idea he had cancer. It was a very difficult shoot, which meant everyone couldn’t go to Vietnam until the film was finished in Ho Chi Minh City. Nguru’s work was shot in Thailand. It was 100 degrees every day. It was also the worst air pollution in Thailand at the time.” I can understand why Chadwick didn’t want to make it easy for me, and I respect him for that. ”
Then, in July 2019, he and Ledward headed to Pittsburgh to produce Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. The following year they became engaged and married. Then, on August 28, 2020, word came that Boseman was gone.
