CHADWICK BOSEMAN’s LAST FILM
A Brilliant Performance in Ma Rainy's Black Bottom
Left behind is a legacy that is ironic and bittersweet.
The actor who paved the way for black heroes in modern-day features will play another prominent historical figure, and it is a film produced by his idol.
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom will be hitting Netflix on December 18. It will feature Chadwick Boseman, who in August died from colon cancer at the young age of 43. Boseman quietly fought the illness for four years.
Boseman will portray Levee, an ambitious trumpeter for “The Mother of the Blues,” Gertrude “Ma” Rainey.
The film’s theme takes after its predecessor, a 1982 play by August Wilson, in which Rainey, renowned for her songs, is entrenched in conflict as other musicians look for their big break. “Ma,” played by Emmy-award winning Viola Davis, works with Levee, who intends to make waves in the music industry, on the heels of her sounds.
The star-studded duo of Davis and Boseman was joined by someone also held in high regard. During his time as an underclassman at Howard University, Boseman had a connection to his mentor, Denzel Washington.
Washington, a legend in his own right, paid the then aspiring actor’s tuition. Phylicia Rashad, known for her role on The Cosby Show and the TV film adaptation of A Raisin in the Sun, was one of Boseman’s professors. Rashad called on Washington to help to fund a tuition program. The future star of 42 was enrolled in that tuition program.
Nearly two decades later, in a 2019 speech honoring Washington, Boseman thanked Washington for the help. The young actor was humbled by his ascent and the comparison to his benefactor.
Boseman was already reaching the pinnacle of his career. He portrayed many pillars of black history. People like Jackie Robinson, Thurgood Marshall, and James Brown, before reaching superstardom as Black Panther in the Avengers anthology. By the time of his award-winning performance in Black Panther, he already was dubbed “the next Denzel.”
The passing of Chadwick Boseman is sad on many levels. His wife survives him. There is no child to carry on the legacy. But recently, it’s been rumored that his wife, Taylor Simone Ledward, may be pregnant. Boseman’s legacy of black excellence, irony, and triumph will live on no matter what.
