Denzel Washington recalls a funny story about attending the New York premiere of Black Panther. The iconic actor, who has been working in the industry since the late '70s, first rose to prominence on the '80s medical series St. Elsewhere before transitioning into A-list films like Training Day, Glory, and Remember the Titans, winning 2 acting Oscars in the process. Recently, he has expanded into directing, including the film Fences, which was nominated for Best Picture and earned him his seventh acting nomination. His next buzzy project is taking the lead in Joel Coen's The Tragedy of Macbeth, which releases this Christmas.

After achieving such success in the industry, Washington felt that he needed to give back and help up-and-coming Black actors trying to make it. One of these contributions was sponsoring Chadwick Boseman so he could attend a summer acting program at The British American Drama Academy at Oxford. Of course, Boseman then went on to become a huge star in his own right, starring in a variety of biopics including 42 and Get On Up before joining the MCU as the Wakandan superhero Black Panther.

Related: Black Panther 2 Shouldn't Have A Villain (Because It Can't Beat Killmonger)

During an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert promoting his new film A Journal for Jordan, which stars Black Panther's Michael B. Jordan, Denzel Washington revealed a funny new facet of his classic Chadwick Boseman story. Apparently, he attended the New York premiere of Black Panther and approached Boseman and director Ryan Coogler. When Chadwick thanked him for his sponsorship, Denzel said "Yeah, that’s why I’m here. I’m not here to see the movie. I like the movie, Black Panther, Wakanda Forever, but where’s my money?" Read the full hilarious story below:

Phylicia Rashad was helping kids and she called different people. She called me and I said, “Yeah, I’ll sponsor whoever,” and he called to thank me. That’s how I found out it was him. You’re sponsoring this kid, this Chadwick Boseman guy. And I said, “Yeah, OK Chad, I want my money back.” So I went to the premiere for Black Panther here in New York. And I saw Ryan Coogler and Chad. He said, “Oh I just wanted to thank you for paying.” I said, “Yeah, that’s why I’m here. I’m not here to see the movie. I like the movie, Black Panther, Wakanda Forever, but where’s my money?”

Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa in Black Panther

Fortunately, Denzel Washington and Chadwick Boseman did get the chance to work together before Boseman's tragic death in 2020. Washington was a producer on the Netflix original film Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, which co-starred Boseman and Viola Davis, earning Boseman a posthumous Best Actor nomination. It's not quite the same as if they had gotten the opportunity to act across one another onscreen, but it's fitting that Boseman was able to work with his longtime supporter on one of his final projects.

Denzel Washington is an actor who has risen to the absolute top of his craft and remained respected for decades at this point. The fact that he is able to nurture up-and-coming talent in such a generous - albeit sarcastic - way is a truly gratifying thing. Hopefully, as he continues to give back, more future Chadwick Boseman's will be able to rise through the ranks and make him proud.

Next: All 12 Marvel Movies Releasing After Spider-Man: No Way Home (& When)

Source: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

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