- - Ryan Coogler Shares Behind-The-Scenes Memories With 'Deeply Funny' Chadwick Boseman

Emy LaCroixJanuary 17, 2026 at 12:37 AM

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Black Panther director Ryan Coogler has talked a lot about the film's late star and his personal friend Chadwick Boseman since his 2020 death, but on Jan. 13, he shared some lighter memories with Amy Poehler.

The Good Hang podcast host wanted to know what Coogler, 39, and Boseman used to "laugh about" on set, giving Coogler an opportunity to gush about how "hilarious" the serious actor was behind-the-scenes.

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"Have you seen Chad on SNL? He is hilarious. He played James Brown... He could do anything," Coogler remembered. "That's his natural way of being, I think... He was very disciplined, [but] ridiculous in between takes."

The director revealed his friend was "deeply, deeply funny" on set, even when Coogler was "ridiculously stressed out" and Boseman was secretly battling colon cancer, which ultimately ended his life at 43. "He was incredible, man," said Coogler. "He would tease with Lupita [Nyong'o] and Danai [Gurira], constantly cracking jokes. We would laugh most about the costumes... some of the props too."

Coogler remembered teasing Boseman and saying that they were going to give him a giraffe tail to carry around and swat flies with during a walking scene. "He was he was a martial artist, so he took the little thing and was [mimics nunchucks]," he shared. "He was gifted, man. Had a great sense of humor."

Fans were thrilled to hear the more lighthearted memories about Boseman. "Thanks, Amy, for connecting Chadwick Boseman’s memory with something comedic... What a smart and thoughtful way to remember someone who’s passed, not with tears or trauma, but with laughter," said one viewer in the comments. Another added, "What a beautiful question about Chadwick, allowing him to remember the joy in their friendship that may often times be hard to remember under the pain of his loss."

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Coogler did take a moment to reveal the greatest lesson he learned from Boseman, saying, "When I look back on my relationship with him, it taught me so much. But the biggest thing is to not take things for granted."

The director admitted that he always had a bad habit of stressing or being "overwhelmed" instead of enjoying his success and living in the moment, and Boseman would help reset his mindset. "He would be the one to snap me out of that," said Coogler, admitting there were times he worried about getting fired from Black Panther.

"He actually pulled me to the side, and he was like, 'Yo, stop saying. I'm not going to let anything happen to you… I'm not letting nobody fire you, bro, so please stop saying that. Relax, man. Do your work. Enjoy it,'" Coogler recalled. "That very act of being present. He was so he was so good at that. So I think about that all the time."

This story was originally published by Parade on Jan 17, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”