Almost two decades ago, Denzel Washington quietly paid for nine students from Howard University to attend a theatre course at the British American Drama Academy at Oxford, and one of those students was the late Chadwick Boseman according to CNBC. Boseman went on to play the lead in Black Panther and earn an Oscar nomination for his final role in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom before his tragic death at 43 in August 2020.
Speaking at the 47th AFI Life Achievement Award, Boseman declared, “There is no Black Panther without Denzel Washington.” Washington, who has long been known for his charitable giving, has been a significant influence not just on acting but on popular culture and society at large.
In the late ’90s, Boseman was a theatre student at Howard University and had been accepted to attend the prestigious summer programme at the British American Drama Academy (Bada) at Balliol College, Oxford. However, he, along with some of his peers, could not afford to attend the programme. That’s when Phylicia Rashad, Boseman’s mentor and a friend of Denzel Washington, approached the Oscar winner for help.
Washington, without hesitation, graciously agreed to contribute, and Boseman, along with his classmates, received their tuition fees from him. Boseman, in an interview with Rolling Stone in 2018, revealed, “I didn’t know where it came from. I was like, ‘Man, I got to meet Denzel someday.’”
This act of kindness from Washington, which helped launch Boseman’s career, remained a secret until Boseman publicly thanked him while presenting him with the American Film Institute’s Life Achievement Award in 2019. Highlighting the impact Washington had not just on his acting career but on the wider cultural conversation.
Boseman’s appreciation for Washington went beyond his acting, and he recognised the latter’s continued efforts to support the greater good, racially and otherwise. Boseman regarded Washington as “a man among men” and commended him for his work both onscreen and offscreen. Boseman’s admiration for Washington was mutual, and the two actors worked together in the Oscar-winning film, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
Washington, in an interview with Variety, spoke about his experience of working with Boseman, where he lauded him for his professionalism and dedication to his craft while suffering quietly. Washington and others had no idea about Boseman’s four-year battle with colon cancer. Washington said, “He suffered quietly. He made the movie, and nobody knew. He never said a peep about it. He just did his job. Good for him, keeping it to himself,” Washington said.
