Chadwick Boseman’s Superpower Was Showcasing The Humanity and Tenderness At The Core Of The Black Experience

One of the blessings and curses of modern technology is the way it has changed how we mourn the loss of beloved public figures. While Wikipedia editors furiously update pages and social media becomes flooded with remembrances, the most powerful reflections show up subtly in our search engines.

Within moments of the stunning passing of Chadwick Boseman, it did not take long to see the names of his best-known films to populate in Chrome or Firefox. From disparate corners of the world, movie buffs, comic book fans, history connoisseurs and action junkies were in search to watch anything Boseman either starred in or had a supporting role. It’s safe to assume that all of these people had a great affinity for a man whose career ascension had yet to peak. Due to Boseman’s youth – 43 years of age, but seemingly younger than that – the loss stings even more because the best was truly yet to come.

Moreso, it’s not just that Boseman was such a craftsman that is appreciated, but that he infused tremendous humanity in so many of his roles, even when he portrayed some of the greatest American icons. That’s not often said of Hollywood’s best actors and actresses, those who can transform themselves into their given subjects in the most technical of ways – at times, literally in the physical sense – only to appear one-dimensional and almost a caricature of whomever was crafted by the script. The humanity that the South Carolina native was lauded for came out in small, but profound ways that felt rather common with moviegoers.

Though taking the mantle as T’Challa in Black Panther will forever be Boseman’s defining role, two seemingly unimportant scenes in his other best-known films displayed a gentleness from real-life historical figures who either could not be or refused to be gentle. 

In one clip from 42, where Boseman had his breakout role as the iconic Jackie Robinson, the actor subtly spoke the love language. He brought out all the youthful vigor and necessary fortitude the baseball legend displayed in his journey to break Major League Baseball’s color barrier. Yet the film was arguably as much about Robinson’s wife, Rachel (played by Nicole Beharie) as it was about Jackie. Boseman and Beharie had tremendous chemistry in this signature scene as you will see Boseman move effortlessly from boyishly coy to steadfast in bracing for an arduous journey ahead. The briefly intimate look between Jackie and Rachel was almost like a battery recharge. Rachel’s affection inspires Jackie, like how the right words or look from a romantic partner becomes an immediate confidence boost.

A year later, Boseman took up the role of James Brown – a musical icon who had massive flaws on and off the stage – in the 2014 release Get On Up.  In this bizarre scene below, which was based on the late soul singer’s arrest in the late 1980s for firing a shotgun in an insurance office, Boseman reanimates with the (alleged) drug-induced insanity of Brown with a strange calmness within a bizarre moment of his own creation. He brings his attention to a female employee as he holds the office hostage because he’s trying to find the stranger that “took a break” in his bathroom at home. In less than 90 seconds, Boseman eases from bewildered to wistful to unintentionally comical while everyone else is scared out of their minds.

A good friend remarked that the actor showed “a range of Blackness,” an apt summation of the historic list of real-life African American icons and the multitude of fictional characters he played on the screen. From a nearly forgotten turn on the legendary soap opera All My Children to his most recent work with Spike Lee for Da 5 Bloods, Boseman didn’t just play roles casted for Black actors. He played countless roles where both subject and actor had fully understood their Blackness – the internal and external forces that define the Black experience. Yet where some Black actors would focus heavily on the trials and tribulations that defined the character’s story, Boseman’s performances let viewers in on a little secret. It was that these Black men, complicated and unforgettable, had reserves of charisma and tenderness that made them real, flesh-and-blood human beings.

Chadwick Boseman had everything that makes a great actor; a screen presence grown from good looks, versatility and, as we learned upon his death, an incredible work ethic despite unfathomable physical challenges. But as we remember his life and the impact he had on others, let’s also be reminded of what made him such a rare commodity in Hollywood. That he found the small things that made the men he played just a bit more human on the big screen than they were in our history books.

Jason Clinkscales is the editor-in-chief for The Sports Fan Journal, and his work has been featured at Awful Announcing, The Week and Dime Magazine. A New York City native, he is also a former media research analyst in both television networks and advertising agencies.

Where to stream 42

Where to stream Get On Up