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Freeform/Aaron PooleThe recent passing of Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman has left many devastated, including Hollywood’s younger stars such as Yara Shahidi.
In a recent interview with Harper’s Bazaar, the 20-year-old actress and activist, best known for her roles on ABC’s Black-ish and its spinoff Grown-ish, spoke about Boseman’s “monumental” impact in playing the black superhero, King T’Challa.
“I don’t know how many times we’re lucky enough in the world to receive somebody who is an unabashed artist, who cares so deeply about his community,” Yara shared. “To even think that we didn’t know that for four years, while he was making some of his best work, he was fighting this fight… and also doing great work [for the community] outside of that.”
“There’s just so much I want to say about him,” the star continued. “For the couple of instances that I was lucky enough to be in his presence, his artistry and his grace was felt.”
Chadwick Boseman died on August 28, after a private four-year battle with colon cancer. Boseman is also best known for his roles in the Jackie Robinson biopic 42, 2014’s Get On Up, and his remarkable portrayal of Thurgood Marshall, the first Black Supreme Court Justice, in the 2017 film Marshall.
After news broke of his passing, Yara penned an emotional tribute to Boseman on Instagram.
“With his grace, his presence, his characters, he reflected our beauty and power. He made our blackness a global celebration,” Yara wrote, along with sharing a photo of Boseman. “He expanded my realm of possibility and showed us just how big we can dream. Rest in Power.”
By Rachel George
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