Chadwick Boseman recalled being fired from a TV show after questioning the racial stereotypes of his role
- In a 2018 commencement speech at Howard University, Chadwick Boseman said he was fired from a TV show early in his career after questioning his role's stereotypical details.
- He said the role was that of a young black man with a violent streak and absentee parents.
- After discussing it with the show's executives, he said he was let go.
- The show may have been ABC's "All My Children," where Michael B. Jordan, his "Black Panther" co-star, replaced him.
- You can watch the speech in full below.
In 2018, Chadwick Boseman gave a commencement speech at Howard University Saturday where he said he was fired from a TV show early in his career after questioning the negative stereotypes of his role.
Boseman died on Friday, August 28, after a four year battle with colon cancer, which he was suffering from when the speech was made.
"I was promised to make six figures, more money than I had ever seen. I was feeling myself," Boseman said. "Once I saw the role I was playing, I found myself conflicted... this role seemed to be wrapped up in assumptions about us as black folk."
Boseman said the role — in a soap opera on a major network — was possibly stereotypical. He played a young black man "with a violent streak pulled into the allure of gang involvement" and with "barely a glimpse of positivity or talent in the character." Boseman didn't want to judge the character, but he brought it up in a meeting with the show's executives after filming the first couple of episodes.
It didn't go well.
"I was let go from that job the next day," Boseman said. "The questions I asked caught the producers off guard. It perhaps paved the way for a less stereotypical portrayal for the black actor that stepped into the role after me."
He told the full story in detail:
Boseman didn't specify which show he was on. But, as HuffPost noted, Boseman's first credited professional role was on the ABC soap opera "All My Children," where he briefly played the gang member Reggie Porter Montgomery. Boseman was later replaced by none other than Michael B. Jordan, the very same actor who played Erik Killmonger in "Black Panther."
Jordan played the role for three years. In a 2015 interview with GQ, he had the same criticisms that Boseman had with the role.
"No dad, no mom, a f---ing stereotypical black role in a soap opera," Jordan said. "And I saw the stereotype, so moving forward I was like, 'Nah, those are the roles I don't want to play.'"
During his commencement speech, Boseman praised his undergraduate years at Howard University — a historically black college — with preparing him for his major film roles.
"I stand here today knowing that my Howard University education prepared me to play Jackie Robinson, James Brown, Thurgood Marshall, and T'Challa," Boseman said.
At the end of his speech, Boseman gave the Wakanda salute, adapting it for his alma mater.
"Howard forever," he said.
You can watch Chadwick Boseman's full commencement address below: