Viola Davis on Being Judgemental Towards Chadwick Boseman For Not Knowing He Was 'Dying' of Cancer: 'Why Do You...'

Viola Davis opened up about her work experience with Chadwick Boseman and the late actor’s commitment to his work. Scroll down to read the details.

Written by Rashi Desai , Entertainment Journalist

Published on Mar 31, 2025 | 10:05 AM GMT | 9.2K

Viola Davis via Getty Images

Viola Davis reflected on her working experience with Chadwick Boseman and the late actor’s commitment to his work despite quietly fighting cancer. The Black Panther star passed away in 2020, and none or very few from the industry knew about the actor’s colon cancer diagnosis.

While sitting down for a segment in Ma Rainy Black’s Bottom, the G20 actress shared that looking at the Marvel actor every day, she had no idea that he might not live any longer.

Davis and Boseman worked together in the 2020 Netflix production, and she noted that the late actor’s girlfriend and his makeup artist would always stay on his side and give back massages to him in between the shots. The actress said, “There was a part of me that was a little judgmental—why do you need all that?” She further added, “Little did I know that they were doing it because he was dying.”

Boseman chose to focus on his career and acted on the screen till the last by keeping his diagnosis a secret. Davis further claimed that the actor’s strength and determination helped Ma Rainy Black’s Bottom on the screens, where the late movie star portrayed the character of Levee Green.

Adding more about the actor’s personality, Davis said, “He was someone who had a quality that very few have today, whether young or old, which is a total commitment to the art form of acting.”

Boseman’s role in the Netflix movie went on to get him an Academy Award nomination.

Meanwhile, the actor received popularity by playing the role of T’Challa in Black Panther and Avengers movies hailed by MCU.