Michael B. Jordan has responded to Chadwick Boseman's recent Oscar snub. The 43-year-old actor had been silently battling colon cancer for four years before he passed away in August. While his legendary performance as King T'Challa/Black Panther in four MCU films made him a household name, he also had many other impactful film roles before his death. For his final film role, he stared as jazz band trumpet player, Levee Green, alongside Viola Davis as 1920s blues singer, Ma Rainey, in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. The Netflix adaptation of August Wilson's 1982 play was a critical success, particularly receiving acclaim for Boseman and Davis' performances.
This year's award season saw Boseman receive many posthumous awards for his performance, including a Golden Globe, which his family accepted on his behalf. It was no surprise that among the film's five Oscar nominations, Boseman was nominated for Best Actor. It seemed that Boseman was set to win his first and final Oscar this year. During the ceremony itself, the category of Best Picture was suddenly moved up, with the Best Actor category taking its place at the very end of the program. However, it came as a shock when the Oscar instead went to Anthony Hopkins for The Father, leaving the ceremony to end on a rather awkward note.
Now Boseman's friend and former Black Panther co-star, Michael B. Jordan, is sharing his thoughts on Boseman's Oscar snub. Despite Boseman's loss to Hopkins, the actor told THR that there is no award that can compare to the legacy Boseman left. Jordan elaborated:
But you know, this is how I honestly and truly really feel about it: There’s like, there's no award that can validate his legacy. There's no win that can take anything away from the lives around the world that he impacted. So you've got to look at the things that we can control and the gifts and the blessings that he left us, and that's this incredible body of work and what he represents for as a person and as the biggest one we could really ask for.
Jordan is not the only one to have spoken out about the Oscar situation. Boseman's brother Derrick recently said that his family was not upset by the snub and that they sent their congratulations to Hopkins. Hopkins himself paid tribute to Boseman after the Oscars. While he was not present for the ceremony itself to accept the award, he shared an acceptance speech on social media the next morning, in which he spoke about Boseman.
The Oscars snub certainly caused a reaction on social media, as many believed Boseman should have won what would have been his first Oscar. What could have been a touching and poignant tribute, ended in a strange and uncomfortable ending to the Oscars, especially since Hopkins wasn't even there to accept. However, Jordan and and Boseman's brother both made the point in their responses that the award ultimately does not mean much, especially compared to Boseman's performance and lasting legacy.
Source: THR