Director George C. Wolfe recalls the late actor's emotional moment when he filmed a poignant scene on the set of the Netflix movie, calling it 'raw and explosive.'
- December 8, 2020
AceShowbiz - It's no question that Chadwick Boseman always gave his best for every role he played. One of his last projects that was lucky enough to have the dedicated actor's contribution is "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom", which eventually became his final film.
Ahead of the film's release later this month, the film's director George C. Wolfe has shared one of his most memorable moments working with the late star. In a new interview with WSJ Magazine, he recalled Chadwick's emotional moment when he filmed a poignant scene featuring his character Leeve and Cutler (Colman Domingo).
In the said scene, Leeve got into a physical altercation with Cutler over the latter's belief in God. The scene ends with Leeve's monologue during which he look up to the skies and challenge "Cutler's God," according to the magazine.
Wolfe admitted he didn't think Boseman would attempt in one take. "We were doing it in a very casual way, and I assumed that when Levee got to the big speech that Chadwick was going to stop. But he didn't stop," he recounted.
The filmmaker then dished on how Boseman kept getting emotional even after the camera stopped rolling, "He kept going, and Levee took over-it was raw and explosive." He went on remembering, "Afterwards, Chadwick just started to sob, and Colman hugged him, and then Chadwick’s girlfriend basically picked him up."
While Wolfe didn't know about Boseman's battle with colon cancer at the time, the actor confided to him about keeping a big secret and the director found the actor's comments making more sense in retrospect now. "He talked to me about having a secret, and how intense it is to reveal a secret to someone else, how vulnerable that makes you feel," the director said.
Boseman's co-star Domingo, meanwhile, remembered how Boseman would often seem preoccupied on set. "I could tell with Chad sometimes, he had something on his mind. He'd walk into a room and he wouldn't speak to anyone," the "Fear the Walking Dead" star shared.
He then would break the ice by jokingly confronting the "Black Panther" actor, "Oh, you're just not going to say hi to anybody?" Domingo said Boseman responded by smiling, and he would shake Domingo's hand and give him a hug every day on set since then.
"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom", which stars Viola Davis in the lead role, will be available to stream on Netflix beginning December 18.
