Lupita Nyong’o broke down watching a scene from ‘Black Panther’ that featured Chadwick Boseman at the BFI London Festival on Monday. She told the audience during a Q&A session (per Entertainment Weekly), “I have to admit I haven’t seen the film since Chadwick died. So, I’m having a moment.”
“The grief is just the love with no place to put it, right? I don’t want to run away from the tears or the grief,” the actress continued, “You just live with it. That experience will never be separate from the love that was formed… I watch this clip and I’m filled with grief, and I don’t know whether I’ll ever be done shedding my tears from losing my friend. But I’m like, we get to see him alive, and that’s so wonderful.”
Boseman died from colon cancer at the age of 43 in August 2020, after four years of keeping his condition a secret from the public. Nyong’o, along with ‘Black Panther’ co-stars Michael B. Jordan and Winston Duke, attended a private memorial service in Malibu soon after.
On the fourth anniversary of Boseman’s death, Nyong’o also honored him on social media. She quoted an unknown author under some photos with her late co-star, writing, “Grief never ends. But it changes. It is a passage, not a place to stay. Grief is not a sign of weakness, nor a lack of faith. It’s the price of love. Remembering Chadwick Boseman. Forever.”
The actress reprised her role as Nakia in the sequel, ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,’ while Marvel dedicated it to Boseman’s memory. Instead of a recast, Letitia Wright’s Shuri took over the Black Panther mantle for future MCU projects.
