Chadwick Boseman after SAG win: ‘There is a place for us’
When it comes to equal representation in films and storytelling, Chadwick Boseman believes, “There is a place for us.”
The “Black Panther” star, along with his fellow cast mates, won the top prize for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture at the 2019 Screen Actors Guild Awards.
The film also won Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture.
After the ceremony, Boseman, 41, posted a snap of the cast holding their coveted trophies.
He added the caption, “‘To Be young, gifted and black…’ There is a place for us. Thank you to SAG-AFRTA for the appreciation and celebration of our work.”
The phrase Boseman quoted references Nina Simone’s song of the same title.
During his acceptance speech, Boseman simply explained, “We know what it’s like to be told there’s not a screen for you to be featured on, a stage for you to be featured on. We know what it’s like to be the tail, but not the head. We know what it’s like to be beneath, but not above. And that is what we went to work with every day.”
The film has gone on to become a fan favorite – earning more than $1 billion at the box office – perhaps making way for more movies starring black actors to enter the mainstream.
Speaking to reporters backstage, according to Entertainment Weekly, Boseman explained why the phrase “To be young, gifted and black” is one of his favorite sayings.
“It speaks to the fact that you have the same dreams as other people [and] you have equal if not more talent at times, but you don’t have the same opportunities,” the actor explained. “You don’t necessarily have the same doors open, the same nepotism or the same money, the same resources that could be put forward for you to achieve dreams. So when you aspire to do something that is outside the realm of what the world would see you doing, to be young gifted and black is all of that. It’s to have everything but not quite be able to grasp it, and to be able to persevere through all of that.”
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