Letitia Wright "loved" Chadwick Boseman from the moment the pair met.
Letitia Wright
The 27-year-old actress starred in 'Black Panther' alongside the late actor and has recalled how she knew that they would have a close relationship during their first meeting.
Letitia said: "From the moment we met, I loved Chadwick Boseman.
"I landed in Los Angeles in September 2016, called to audition for a Marvel Studios film that was to be directed by Ryan Coogler. It was clear this was a big deal. I was only 22 and incredibly nervous, but Chad – already cast as the lead – walked in with a smoothie, laid-back and cool.
"I heard God speak to my heart, that he would be my brother, and that I was to love him as such. As we read our lines, playing siblings for the first time, my hand reflexively went to his chest, over his heart surprising me. Why was I touching the chest of a man I'd just met? But then he wrapped his huge, beautiful hands around mine and held them there."
The 'Small Axe' actress recalled how the experience was "more than an audition scene" and explained how Chadwick made sure she landed the role of the superhero Shuri.
Speaking in the April issue of British Vogue magazine, Letitia said: "It became more than an audition scene. I felt I had found the big brother I never had.
"The next time we met, on set in Atlanta, his energy was lower. He said he was just tired, flying coast to coast to test with different actors, and I worried our connection wasn't clicking anymore. But, unbeknown to me, he had already told his team and Marvel that he felt like he had found his sister in me."
Letitia regrets not getting to chance to bid farewell to Chadwick, who passed away last August after a private battle with cancer.
She said: "I wish I had got to say goodbye. I wish that I could tell him how much he inspired me. How cherished he is by the world. How grateful I am to him for seeing me, a young black woman from Guyana – a small fish in a big pond. How his yes for me to be a part of his world changed my life forever. For his selfless act of sharing his spirit and gift with us."
See the full feature in the April issue of British Vogue available via digital download and on newsstands now.
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