Chadwick Boseman’s Wife Gives Moving Speech After Golden Globes Win

The late actor won a posthumous award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama at the ceremony.

Chadwick Boseman’s legacy lives on: the late actor was honored with a posthumous award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama at Sunday’s Golden Globes for his work on Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Boseman’s widow, Taylor Simone Ledward, gave an emotional acceptance speech on his behalf. “He would thank God,” she said. “He would thank his parents. He would thank his ancestors for their guidance and their sacrifices.”

Ledward listed more people Boseman would have thanked, like director George C. Wolfe, producer Denzel Washington, and costar Viola Davis, among others. “He would say something beautiful,” she said. “Something inspiring, something that would amplify that little voice inside of all of us that tells you you can, that tells you to keep going, that calls you back to what you’re meant to be doing at this moment in history.”

Boseman passed away last August at age 43. He had been living with colon cancer for a few years but chose to keep his diagnosis private. Netflix’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom was his final film, following a role in Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods and his iconic turn as Marvel’s title character in Black Panther

This was his first Golden Globes nomination and win. The other nominees were Gary Oldman (Mank), Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal), Anthony Hopkins (The Father), and Tahar Rahim (The Mauritanian). 

Check out the full speech below:

“He would thank God. He would thank his parents. He would thank his ancestors for their guidance and their sacrifice.

He would thank his incredible team Michael Greene, Azeem Chiba, Nicki Fioravante, Evelyn O’Neill, Chris Huvane, Logan Coles.

He would thank his team on set for this film – Deidra Dixon, Sian Richards, Craig Anthony, and Andrew Carlone.

He would say something beautiful, something inspiring, something that would amplify that little voice inside of all of us that tells you you can, that tells you to keep going, that calls you back to what you’re meant to be doing at this moment in history.

He would thank Mr. George C. Wolfe, Mr. Denzel Washington, lots of people at Netflix. He would thank Ms. Viola Davis, Mr. Glynn Turman, Mr. Michael Potts, Mr. Colman Domingo, Ms. Taylour Paige, Mr. Dusan Brown.

And I don’t have his words, but we have to take a moment to celebrate those we love. So thank you HFPA for this opportunity to do exactly that.

And, hun, you keep ’em coming. Thank you.”

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