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    Chadwick Boseman Sobbed Filming 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' His GF Had to Pick Him Up

    Netflix

    Director George C. Wolfe recalls the late actor’s emotional moment when he filmed a poignant scene on the set of the Netflix movie, calling it ‘raw and explosive.’

    Dec 8, 2020
    AceShowbiz – It’s no question that Chadwick Boseman always gave his best for every role he played. One of his last projects that was lucky enough to have the dedicated actor’s contribution is “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”, which eventually became his final film.
    Ahead of the film’s release later this month, the film’s director George C. Wolfe has shared one of his most memorable moments working with the late star. In a new interview with WSJ Magazine, he recalled Chadwick’s emotional moment when he filmed a poignant scene featuring his character Leeve and Cutler (Colman Domingo).
    In the said scene, Leeve got into a physical altercation with Cutler over the latter’s belief in God. The scene ends with Leeve’s monologue during which he look up to the skies and challenge “Cutler’s God,” according to the magazine.
    Wolfe admitted he didn’t think Boseman would attempt in one take. “We were doing it in a very casual way, and I assumed that when Levee got to the big speech that Chadwick was going to stop. But he didn’t stop,” he recounted.

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    The filmmaker then dished on how Boseman kept getting emotional even after the camera stopped rolling, “He kept going, and Levee took over-it was raw and explosive.” He went on remembering, “Afterwards, Chadwick just started to sob, and Colman hugged him, and then Chadwick’s girlfriend basically picked him up.”
    While Wolfe didn’t know about Boseman’s battle with colon cancer at the time, the actor confided to him about keeping a big secret and the director found the actor’s comments making more sense in retrospect now. “He talked to me about having a secret, and how intense it is to reveal a secret to someone else, how vulnerable that makes you feel,” the director said.
    Boseman’s co-star Domingo, meanwhile, remembered how Boseman would often seem preoccupied on set. “I could tell with Chad sometimes, he had something on his mind. He’d walk into a room and he wouldn’t speak to anyone,” the “Fear the Walking Dead” star shared.
    He then would break the ice by jokingly confronting the “Black Panther” actor, “Oh, you’re just not going to say hi to anybody?” Domingo said Boseman responded by smiling, and he would shake Domingo’s hand and give him a hug every day on set since then.
    “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”, which stars Viola Davis in the lead role, will be available to stream on Netflix beginning December 18.

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    Chadwick Boseman's Co-Star Talks His Explosion of Fury During 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' Filming

    Netflix

    When paying tribute to the late actor, Colman Domingo recalls an emotional moment from one particular scene’s shooting that left his castmate being reduced to tears.

    Nov 17, 2020
    AceShowbiz – Chadwick Boseman was reduced to tears while filming a scene for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”, his co-star Colman Domingo has revealed.
    The Netflix movie was the last Chadwick filmed before his tragic death from colon cancer in August. And paying tribute to his late castmate, Domingo recalled a tale from the shoot – when Chadwick’s character Levee denounces God after being told a story about a Black pastor being confronted by a group of White men by Domingo’s Cutler.
    “He stops mid way of the speech, and whatever was happening there I think (co-stars) Michael (Potts), Glynn (Turman), and I, we all knew it,” Colman said as he participated in a recent panel for the film. “It was one of those moments when you go, ‘This is the good stuff, and we’re all here, do not step away.’ ”
    “Something was happening with Chad, and he turned away. I thought he was about to stop the scene, and I don’t think I’ve ever done this before in my entire career, I just said, ‘Tell me, tell me.’ I was just yelling at him. ‘Tell me! Tell me!’ Like, do not give up this scene. And then he explodes with all the rage and fury and the questions of God’s will.”

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    At that point, they “all just embraced each other and sobbed,” Colman added.
    “All these grown men with tears in their eyes. Michael, Glynn, Chad, myself we were silent for at least a good minute and we were all trying to collect ourselves,” he explained. “We didn’t know what was in the room and what we were actually dealing with, what were the underpinnings of that scene. It was a whisper at first and then it was a roar.”
    Colman had no idea that Chadwick was actually battling colon cancer at the time, and now thinks of that moment on set as a true reflection of the actor’s dedication to his art.
    “That man had this fight in him to the very end, and now it makes sense why he’s played so many kings in rapid succession, it’s as if he knew he didn’t have enough time on this Earth,” Colman mused. “Or he wasn’t given to us for that long. But he made such an impression that I think this film seals the deal.”

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  • Chadwick Boseman Lets Out Emotion in First Trailer of His Final Film 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom'

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    The late ‘Black Panther’ actor portrayed Ma Rainey’s band member Levee, an ambitious, yet under-appreciated trumpeter who aspires to make his own mark in the Chicago music scene.

    Oct 20, 2020
    AceShowbiz – Here’s a new official look at Chadwick Boseman’s final film “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”. Netflix has released the first trailer of the film starring the late actor and Viola Davis, after previously previewing it with some first-look photos.
    In the upcoming drama based on the play of the same name by August Wilson, Boseman portrayed Ma Rainey’s band member Levee, an ambitious trumpeter who aspires to make his own mark in the Chicago music scene by putting a contemporary spin on old-fashioned songs. Yet, his works are under-appreciated by his own colleagues and white music executives, leading to some emotional moments in the trailer.
    Davis takes on the title role, who is described as the legendary “Mother of the Blues.” Set in 1920s, the movie centers on a fateful recording session of “Mother of the Blues” as tensions rise between Ma Rainey, her ambitious horn player and the white management determined to control the legendary “Mother of the Blues”.

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    “Late to the session, the fearless, fiery Ma engages in a battle of wills with her white manager and producer over control of her music,” according to the official synopsis. “As the band waits in the studio’s claustrophobic rehearsal room, ambitious trumpeter Levee – who has an eye for Ma’s girlfriend and is determined to stake his own claim on the music industry – spurs his fellow musicians into an eruption of stories revealing truths that will forever change the course of their lives.”
    Boseman was battling colon cancer while filming “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”, though none of the production crew and his co-stars knew about it. He completed the production before his passing on August 28. He was 43.
    George C. Wolfe directs the film, with Ruben Santiago-Hudson writing the script. Denzel Washington co-produces it with Todd Black and Dany Wolf. Glynn Turman, Colman Domingo and Michael Potts are also among the cast members.
    “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” is set to be released December 18 on Netflix.

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  • Get First Look at Chadwick Boseman in His Final Movie 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom'

    Netflix

    Denzel Washington, who co-produces the Netflix movie, praises the late actor’s ‘a brilliant job,’ while his co-star Viola Davis remembers he ‘could completely discard whatever ego he had’ to portray Levee.
    Oct 1, 2020
    AceShowbiz – Chadwick Boseman had completed filming for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”, which now would be his final film, before his shocking death in late August. Now, the first look at the late actor in the upcoming Netflix movie has been unveiled.
    Boseman portrays Levee, an ambitious trumpeter, in the film. He is seen suiting up in one image and lying down on a bench while being surrounded by other musicians in another shot. There’s also a behind-the-scenes look featuring the “Black Panther” star with lead actress Viola Davis and director George C. Wolfe.

    Davis takes on the title role, who is described as the legendary “Mother of the Blues.” A still picture shows her in a scene where she performs with a band of musicians, while another image sees her channeling her inner diva on stage while being joined by some backing dancers.

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    Speaking to The New York Times, Denzel Washington, who co-produced the movie, gushes over Boseman’s performance. “He did a brilliant job, and he’s gone. I still can’t believe it,” he said of the late actor.

    Davis, meanwhile, applauds Boseman’s work ethic. “A lot of actors mistake their presence for the event,” she says of her co-star. “An actor of Chadwick’s status usually comes on and it’s their ego who comes on before them: This is what they want, this is what they’re not going to do. That was absolutely, 150 percent off the table with Chadwick. He could completely discard whatever ego he had, whatever vanity he had, and welcome Levee in.”

    She goes on recalling how Boseman received a lot of support from his team during the production. “I’m looking back at how tired he always seemed. I look at his beautiful, unbelievable team that was meditating over him and massaging him, and I now realize everything they were trying to infuse in him to keep him going and working at his optimal level. And he received it,” she shares, not realizing that he was battling cancer at the time.
    “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” is based on the play of the same name by August Wilson. The film is set during an intense recording session in 1920s Chicago as Ma Rainey battles her manager and producer over control of her music and goes toe-to-toe with band members such as Boseman’s Levee, an ambitious trumpeter who is determined to make a name for himself in the music industry.
    The movie will be released December 18 on Netflix.

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  • Preview Event for Chadwick Boseman's Final Film Gets Scrapped

    WENN

    The ‘Black Panther’ actor, who passed away after a secret, four-year cancer battle, stars opposite Viola Davis in Netflix’s ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’, which is produced by Denzel Washington.
    Aug 31, 2020
    AceShowbiz – A virtual preview for Chadwick Boseman’s final film has been scrapped out of respect for the late actor.
    Netflix bosses had been due to host an online event on Monday (August 31) for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”, the movie adaptation of August Wilson’s play of the same name, in which the “Black Panther” star had featured alongside Viola Davis.
    However, in light of Boseman’s passing from a secret, four-year cancer battle on Friday (August 28), officials have chosen to scrap the preview, which was due to include commentary from Davis and director George C. Wolfe.
    In a statement issued to Deadline.com, a Netflix representative said, “This is an incredible loss. We are canceling Monday’s preview event of ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’. Please join us in sending your thoughts to his family and loved ones.”
    Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos added, “Chadwick was a superhero on screen and in life, and it’s impossible to imagine working at the level he has while valiantly battling his illness.”
    “His legacy as a person and an artist will inspire millions. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family during this difficult time.”
    Meanwhile, Davis has shared her tribute to Boseman on social media, writing, “Chadwick…..no words to express my devastation of losing you. Your talent, your spirit, your heart, your authenticity…”
    “It was an honor working beside you, getting to know you….Rest well prince…May flights of angels sing thee to thy heavenly rest. I love you!”

    And Denzel Washington, who serves as a producer on “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”, has remembered Boseman too, years after paying for the Howard University graduate to attend an acting programme at Oxford University in England.
    “He was a gentle soul and a brilliant artist, who will stay with us for eternity through his iconic performances over his short yet illustrious career,” Washington wrote. “God bless Chadwick Boseman.”
    A release date for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” has yet to be announced.

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