The world lost Chadwick Boseman on August 28, 2020, to cancer. Had he been alive, the actor would have been celebrating his 47th birthday on Nov 29. Remembered best for portraying Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, his legacy lives on in the many roles he has portrayed in his career.
One of his notable roles is in Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods, where he portrayed the charismatic leader of a group of African-American soldiers during the Vietnam War. While the actor was praised for the way he approached the role, there was one inexplicable scene that convinced Lee that a heavenly force was at play during the shot.
Spike Lee Is Convinced That One Chadwick Boseman Scene Had God’s Hand
Chadwick Boseman portrayed the character of Stormin’ Norman in Spike Lee‘s Da 5 Bloods, which was one of his last movies. The film received widespread acclaim with Boseman getting praised for his portrayal despite being in a supporting role.
As for Lee, the filmmaker had no idea what the actor was going through. Shocked to find him gone, he watched the movie again after Boseman’s passing. While talking to Variety after Boseman’s death, Lee was convinced that the scene at the end of the movie where the actor is standing in the jungle with warm light falling on him had God’s hand in it.
“It was God’s heavenly light. We didn’t have light. You know, Delroy’s talking to the camera, talking about his conversation with God? We go up, and we come down and we find this heavenly light. It’s Chadwick standing in that light, in that pose. That was God up there. I don’t care what nobody says. That was God’s heavenly light, because that scene’s not lit. That’s natural light. And that was God sending heavenly light on Chadwick.”
The scene in question is indeed one of the most powerful ones in the movie, with Boseman’s character Norman declaring ‘God is love, love is God’.
Spike Lee Finds It Hard To Watch Da 5 Bloods After Chadwick Boseman’s Death
The Black Panther star suffering from terminal cancer was a fact that Spike Lee could not even have thought of in his wildest dreams. The shoot was strenuous, with much of it shot at 100 degrees, so even if the signs were there, Lee had no idea that Chadwick Boseman was in pain.
While talking to Variety, Lee revealed that he finds it hard to watch the movie after the actor’s death,
“It was hard to look at the film again for me since his transition. It is just a whole ‘nother experience.”
However, when he saw it again, the filmmaker is sure that the actor seems to be convinced that the movie might be his last for he really gave it his all,
“There’s a possibility he thought this might be his last film. And God gave him one more with ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.’ But now looking at that, he was playing it. Stormin’ Norman says, ‘If I have to go out, I’m going gangbusters.’ And that’s what he did.”
Whether there was a heavenly power involved or not, whether Boseman knew it would be one of his last movies or not, we may never know. But what many know for sure is that all the characters and roles he has played in his career have left a profound impact on viewers with a lasting legacy in the world of cinema as well.
Da 5 Bloods can be streamed on Netflix.
