Chadwick Boseman was a hero on and off camera, and in true Marvel fashion, his friendship with one fellow Avenger has a pretty hilarious origin story.
In a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, Chadwick’s fellow Marvel star Anthony Mackie remembered the Black Panther actor, who died in August from colon cancer.
“I cared about him dearly as a friend,” Anthony said, before sharing a funny memory of how the pair first met back in 1998.
The actor recalled that Chadwick was directing a play at Howard University, and Anthony’s then-girlfriend brought him into the theatre to see its Elizabeth Catlett art collection.
“He was in the black box in an office chair spinning around the room,” Anthony said. “And she was like, ‘Hey, Chad, I want you to meet my classmate at Juilliard, Anthony.’”
Chadwick’s response?
“Wait, I’m concentrating. Don’t break my vibe.”
“And he just spins around the room, and I was like, ‘It’s nice to meet you, man,’” Anthony said.
The future Black Panther star kept spinning, adding, “I’m almost there!”
Anthony said he brought up the story to Chadwick after things “took off for him”.
“He was like, ‘Yeah, I don’t want to talk about it. I was going through a lot in my young age,’” the actor said.
Almost two months after Chadwick’s death, friends and fans continue to mourn the actor.
Just recently, Letitia Wright, who previously posted an emotional video in Chadwick’s honor, said she couldn’t even think about filming a new Black Panther movie without him.
“We’re just grieving at the moment, so it’s trying to find the light in the midst of it,” she said.
See the Entertainment Tonight interview in full below: