Black Panther executive producer Nate Moore has shared the last text message he received from Chadwick Boseman. As Entertainment Tonight reports, Moore and Boseman had teamed up with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to help kids battling cancer, and the late actor went the extra mile even in his last moments.
Boseman's last text about helping sick kids during quarantine
Moore told People the circumstances behind Boseman's last text to him, which involved a special gesture from the actor as his Black Panther character. "It was during lockdown, and we worked together to get a young boy a voice note from T’Challa, as well as a package of toys – no easy feat when we weren’t allowed to leave our homes or go to the office," he explained. "But Chad figured out how to make it work because he cared so intently, and in hindsight, so personally."
"It broke me, man, but we need to do that for them. People deserve abundant life, special moments," Boseman's text to Moore read. "They’ve been through hell battling disease. If we were able to ease their suffering and bring joy for a moment, and hopefully moments as he goes through the bags, then we made a difference in his life."
Black Panther producer on Boseman: "a leader and a caregiver first"
Moore said that knowing Boseman was sick with cancer himself hasn't caused his perception of the actor's character to shift. "Again, hindsight will tell us that Chad felt that way because he too was battling a disease. But I don’t think that’s true," he said. "I think that’s just who he was as a man. A leader and a caregiver first, who accomplished both of those things as a performer and as a regular person."
Josh Gad also shared the inspirational last texts he received from Boseman, who he knew since they'd worked on the 2017 movie Marshall together. Another one of Boseman's past co-stars, Clarke Peters, recently admitted that he feels bad for judging Boseman on the set of a film they worked on together without knowing what he was really going through. As Entertainment Tonight mentions, the late actor will be honoured in an upcoming special hosted by Kevin Frazier called BET and ET Present Chadwick Boseman: Life and Legacy.
Scott Mills, BET President, made a statement about Boseman's death. "We were all grief-stricken when we learned the tragic news of Chadwick's passing," he said. "He was an accomplished actor, a kind spirit, and an inspiration to millions around the world. He embodied a diverse roster of Black icons with brilliance, and his legacy will forever live on. We send our prayers and heartfelt condolences to his family."
