Chadwick Boseman ‘truly learned to play’ trumpet for his role in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, according to his costar in the Netflix movie, Colman Domingo.
The late actor, who played a musician named Levee in the motion picture, inspired his costars to hone their playing skills for the film, said Domingo, who plays Cutler in the movie.
‘I think everyone was like, “Oh, that’s what you’re doing, Chad? Okay, now I’m gonna learn too,”‘ Domingo said in a promotional clip. ‘I love that [he’s] like, “Yeah, I’m gonna challenge you. We’re gonna challenge each other.”‘
The latest: Chadwick Boseman ‘truly learned to play’ trumpet for his role in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, according to his costar in the Netflix movie, Colman Domingo
Glynn Turman, who portrays Toledo, remembered hearing the late actor, who died this past summer at 43 after a four-year colon cancer battle, practicing during production in Pittsburgh in August of 2019.
‘We were all staying in the same hotel,’ Turman said. ‘It started sounding like, you know, a music school. You get off the elevator and you could hear Chadwick, you know, working on it.
‘Made you say, “Hey, I don’t want to practice right now, but I better get to start practicing.”‘
Viola Davis stars as blues icon Ma Rainey in the musical drama, which is based off August Wilson’s play. Denzel Washington, who starred with Davis in her Oscar-winning turn in the 2016 adaption of Wilson’s Fences, is a producer on the movie.
Dedicated: The late actor inspired his costars to hone their playing skills for the film, said Domingo
Beloved: The actor died in August at 43 after a four-year colon cancer battle
Davis last week told Yahoo! Entertainment that she ‘broke down’ hearing news of Boseman’s death on August 28, 2020.
She added: ‘Lord knows we all would’ve wanted him to live another 50 years. We all want longevity. But I can’t see his life tragically at all … Because I felt like he was always living in the moment, squeezing out every bit of life. What it makes me think is, it’s not the quantity, it’s the quality.’
Production of the film, featuring Michael Potts, Boseman and Colman Domingo, took place in Pittsburgh in August of 2019
Viola Davis (flanked by Boseman and Domingo) stars as blues icon Ma Rainey in the musical drama, which is based off August Wilson’s play
Boseman, best known for his role as King T’Challa in Black Panther, also starred in movies like 42, Marshall, Get on Up and Draft Day.
The actor was diagnosed with stage three cancer in 2016, and underwent ‘countless surgeries and chemotherapy’ in his battle with the disease, his family said, adding that he ‘died in his home, with his wife and family by his side,’ adding that ‘it was the honor of his career to bring King T’Challa to life in Black Panther.’
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is streaming on Netflix now.