While it’s been hard for fans of Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman to process the fact that the star left this world at the age of 42 to colon cancer late last week, it’s been that much harder for another star who shared a long and deep personal bond with him — his co-star in the film, Michael B. Jordan.
Michael B. Jordan Pays Tribute To Chadwick Boseman
But the bond between these two Black Panther co-stars wasn’t forged on that set. Instead, their association goes back to being teens in New York City — with Jordan following Chadwick Boseman in the role of All My Children’s Reggie Porter — a huge break for both actors. Jordan acknowledged that in his tribute on Instagram Monday evening.
“One of the last times we spoke,” wrote Jordan, “you said we were forever linked, and now the truth of that means more to me than ever. Since nearly the beginning of my career, starting with All My Children when I was 16 years old you paved the way for me. You showed me how to be better, honor purpose, and create legacy. And whether you’ve known it or not…I’ve been watching, learning and constantly motivated by your greatness.”
Chadwick Boseman did indeed pave the way — but not just by vacating the role. In an interview with The Wrap last year, Boseman explained during a joint interview with Jordan for the news website.
Their Time On All My Children
“Because with a soap opera, you don’t know the full scope of what’s gonna happen — you don’t know where they’re gonna take the character because they don’t always know where the character is going. And because of that, there’s possibly room for me to adjust this and change it and make it so it’s stereotypical on the page but not on the screen.
“I remember going home and thinking, ‘Do I say something to them about this? Do I just do it?’ And I couldn’t just do it. I had to voice my opinions and put my stamp on it. And the good thing about it was, it changed it a little bit for him,” he said, meaning for Jordan.
“They said, ‘You are too much trouble,’ but they took my suggestions or some of them. And for me, honestly, that’s what this is about,” shared Boseman at the time.
“That’s awesome to hear,” said Jordan. “It’s so wild to hear you say that. I’m younger than Chad, and I was coming into ‘All My Children’ fresh off ‘The Wire’ — wide open, still learning. I was playing this role not knowing that a lot of the things I was going through were because of what he’d already done for me.”
Michael B. Jordan paid tribute to his friend adding, “But the thing that hurts the most is that I now understand how much of a legend and hero YOU are. Through it all, you never lost sight of what you loved most. You cared about your family, your friends, your craft, your spirit.
“You cared about the kids, the community, our culture, and humanity. You cared about me. You are my big brother, but I never fully got a chance to tell you, or to truly give you your flowers while you were here.” You can read his entire tribute in the post below.
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