Black Panther director Ryan Coogler has hailed the film’s star Chadwick Boseman following his death from colon cancer.
“In African cultures, we often refer to loved ones that have passed on as ancestors,” he wrote, praising Boseman’s artistry by stating: “The ancestors spoke through him.”
Boseman died aged 43 at home in Los Angeles with his wife and family by his side, his publicist Nicki Fioravante said.
The actor had not revealed his cancer diagnosis to the public.
“Chad was an anomaly. He was calm. Assured. Constantly studying,” wrote Coogler, who revealed that Boseman learned his lines in the Xhosa language in a single day.
“The decision to have Xhosa be the official language of Wakanda was solidified by Chad, a native of South Carolina, because he was able to learn his lines in Xhosa, there on the spot.
“He also advocated for his character to speak with an African accent, so that he could present T’Challa to audiences as an African king, whose dialect had not been conquered by the West,” Coogler added.
