Yara Shahidi, the 20-year-old actress and activist known for her roles on ABC’s Black-ish and its spinoff Grown-ish, recently discussed the legacy of the late Chadwick Boseman, who was most famous for playing King T’Challa in Marvel Studios’ 2018 hit film Black Panther.
In a recent interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Yara Shahidi spoke about the impact Chadwick Boseman had, saying that the way he showed young people that they could dream big was “monumental.”
Chadwick Boseman was an acclaimed actor who was famous for not only his role in Black Panther but also for portraying legendary Black historical figures on the big screen. Boseman thrilled audiences as baseball legend Jackie Robinson in the 2013 film 42, legendary singer James Brown in the 2014 film Get On Up, and he brilliantly portrayed Thurgood Marshall, the first Black Supreme Court Justice in the 2017 film Marshall. He tragically passed away on August 28, after a private four-year battle with cancer.
“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,” said Yara. “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… I’m rambling because there’s just so much I want to say about him. For the couple of instances that I was lucky enough to be in his presence, his artistry and his grace was felt.”
Yara Shahidi also shared a picture of Chadwick Boseman and wrote an emotional tribute to him on Instagram, writing in the caption: “Sending so much love to his family ❤️ Sitting in gratitude for his light, his art, and his dedication to US and our community- on and off-screen. With his grace, his presence, his characters, he reflected our beauty and power. He made our blackness a global celebration. He expanded my realm of possibility and showed us just how big we can dream ❤️ Rest in Power.”
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Photo: Harper’s Bazaar
