John Kani’s heartwarming response when mistaken for Chadwick Boseman’s real dad
John Kani played T’Chaka, Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa’s dad in ‘Black Panther’
Legendary South African actor John Kani, 81, had a heartwarming response when fans mistook him for his Black Panther co-star Chadwick Boseman’s father.
Kani played Boseman’s T’Challa’s father T’Chaka in Black Panther (2018), and after the lead star’s death in 2029 due to colon cancer, he received numerous messages paying condolences from fans who thouht he was really the 21 Bridges.
Kani shared his experience of working with the late actor during the L.A. premiere of Mufasa: The Lion King on Dec. 9.
“Here is this kid. He is incredible. I’m with my son, Atandwa. And both of them were like my children, they called me ‘daddy’ right through,” he told People.
“When Chadwick passed away, I got a thousand messages of deepest condolences,” he recalled. “At first I tried to explain, ‘No, he’s not my son, he’s my son in the movie…’ [but] I [have] just accepted now that he was my son. An incredible, true consummate professional.”
The Lion King star went on to praise Boseman for his determination to get the scenes in Black Panther right.
“He wanted to be sure. In Chad we had a sense of time,” Kani shared. “He worked on a schedule he only knew, [and understood] that we haven’t gotten enough time. He wanted a 25-hour day so he could get the opportunity to say everything he wanted to say. That was my experience with Chadwick.”
Chadwick Boseman and John Kani also starred together in Captain America: Civil War back in 2016.
