My day started with Nehlas message about Matthew Perry, but today we are not going to talk about the sorrow that we share but about how incredible of a life two legends had even while suffering a lot behind.
Black Panther was my all-time favorite character in The Avengers. Tchalla was worthy of being a king in every way. He was the most genuine and innocent character of all. When Chadwick Bose Man left the world in 2021, I was pretty bumbed, and I watched every possible video and film he ever did. The internet was full of "rest in power king" tags and his paintings.
Chadwick Boseman started his career in a television series, and later he mostly got roles in negative shades. During that time, African Americans were perceived as negative characters in films, and he questioned this and hence didn't get roles for years. Still, he stood by his stand. he pursued his passion with his principles and his set of rules.
He played some major roles in Marhsall, 42, Get On Up and many more. I watched Marshel three times. It's a biographical drama about Thurgood Marshall, the first African Supreme Court justice. In 42, he played Jackie Robinson; in Get On Up, he played James Brown. In both Marshell and 42, the roles he played were how those real-life legends fought racism and excelled in their careers. Who is perfect for those roles other than Boseman?
There is a speech Boseman delivered during graduation ceremony at Howard about the purpose of life where he makes the whole audience overwhelmed with words. If you haven't seen it yet, it's one of the best and a must-watch. So are the films 42 and Marshell.
While he was offered the role of Black Panther, or perhaps in the initial years of Tchalla, he must have been suffering from colon cancer. He must have undergone chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and even surgeries during the course of the disease, but not even the crew, the directors, or any of the co-actors knew about this, and how amazing is that? Even that big of a disease couldn't stop him from doing his work. Tchalla was not an easy character to do; he had to be in shape—not just in shape but in perfect shape—and had running and dangerous fight scenes. but he managed to do it with grace and perfection. By the time he died, he was permanently registered in the minds of the world as a black panther. Even in such a huge franchise like Avengers, they couldn't even think of replacing that important character with another actor, and Wakanda forever was nothing but a debut for Chadwik.
Just like his characters, just like his speech, he found his purpose, had his hardships, stood for his set of rules, and conquered his world.
Even though they were entirely different, Matthew had an inspiring life in a different way. When Boseman was a perfect person to look up to, Chandler had a imperfectly perfect life. His real character was also kind of like Chandler himself. He sent a copy of People magazine, when he became its cover page, to his teacher, since his teacher told him that he would never reach anywhere in his life with his jokes!
Chandler was the only actor who was allowed to make suggestions for the script. During the shooting of friends, he became addicted to drugs and was even on drug treatment. Even though all these were happening simultaneously, his acting was never affected by them. He became one of the most iconic characters of his generation. He later spent his years spreading awareness about addiction, recovery, and mental health. How Chandler sets an example of a friend, a boyfriend, and a husband so high is just so amazing!
Matthew Perry himself set an example for millions of us to appreciate life with all its imperfections and how it can still be a success. how an imperfect person can still be a legend and how to still be great with all of our challenges.
While Boseman was suffering physically, Matthew had his fights inside. Both of these legends teach us how to make the most of life, even while suffering something so big in silence, and even with all its flaws, life can still be inspiring to millions of people.
