Denzel Washington and Chadwick Boseman Share a Heartwarming Connection that Would Surprise You

As if 2020 couldn’t throw more surprises at us, news of ‘Black Panther’ star Chadwick Boseman’s death broke out and left fans devastated. According to an announcement made by his team, the 43-year-old actor has been suffering from colon cancer for the last four years and has, unfortunately, succumbed to it.

As expected, everyone was shocked and saddened by the news. Among those who are probably hit hard by his sudden death is veteran actor Denzel Washington, who shared a surprising connection with Boseman.

Amazing Opportunity

Featureflash Photo Agency/Shutterstock — Boseman portrayed several iconic Black figures in film like James Brown and Jackie Robinson

Way before Boseman broke into the acting scene, he was a student at Howard University. During his time at the historically black college in the late ‘90s, he had the opportunity to apply to a theater program at the University of Oxford in England.

The then-young actor got in but couldn’t afford the expenses of pursuing the program. Luckily, Phylicia Rashad, ‘The Cosby Show’ actress and Boseman’s mentor, stepped in to save the day.

As Boseman recalled, Rashad pushed for him and his schoolmates and basically got some of her celebrity friends to chip in so they can go. It was only during the end of the program when the actor found out who his generous benefactor was.

It was no other than Denzel Washington.

Sharing the Story

Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock — Boseman at an American Film Insititute event honoring Washington in 2019

As Boseman shared years after, he decided to pen a thank you letter to Washington but never managed to give it to him. However, the amazing act of kindness stayed with him and he finally decided to share it 20 years later.

Just last year, he revealed the ‘secret’ to host Jimmy Fallon during an appearance on ‘The Tonight Show’. Boseman also shared that he wanted to meet Washington first before he told the story in public.

Finally Meeting

Sarunyu L/Shutterstock — ‘Black Panther’ was both a critical and commercial success scoring three Academy Awards and over $1 billion in the box office

Their much-awaited meeting happened a year earlier in 2018 when they finally crossed paths at the New York premiere of ‘Black Panther’, the film that turned Boseman into an international star.

The late actor described the moment as an ‘amazing’ experience and even shared Washington’s hilarious response when he finally got to thank him. Apparently, the ‘Philadelphia’ actor jokingly responded as if he just realized he was there at the premiere because he came to collect the money Boseman owed him.

Their interactions didn’t end there though. Boseman notably paid tribute to his benefactor when Wahington was honored with the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2019.