Ryan Coogler is one of the hottest directors in Hollywood right now. Coming off the incredible success of Sinners, Coogler is riding higher than ever before. The director says he’s not taking these moments for granted, something he credits his Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman with teaching him. That wisdom all came during a time Coogler said he was constantly afraid he was going to get fired.
Ryan Coogler recently appeared on the Good Hang with Amy Poehler podcast, and the topic turned to Chadwick Boseman. Coogler talks about the fun they would have on set, despite the director being incredibly “stressed out” by the production. He says Boseman taught him to be more present in the moment and enjoy the times he had. Coogler recalled…
When I look back at my relationship with him, it taught me so much. But the biggest thing is to not take things for granted. Even all of this, Amy — the success of [Sinners], being invited to the podcast with you, doing awards press with my cast. Before losing him, I would be not present in those moments. I would be overwhelmed or considering it to be work, or dealing with imposter syndrome, what have you…. He would be the one to snap me out of that.
It’s hard to imagine Ryan Coogler dealing with imposter syndrome. His talent as a director has been clearly on display since the first time he directed Michael B. Jordan in Fruitvale Station. Coogler’s star would rise quickly after that but, perhaps, it rose a bit more quickly than he was comfortable with.
Black Panther was the biggest movie ever in the careers of both Ryan Coogler and Chadwick Boseman at the time it was made. It would not surprise anybody if both had been nothing but balls of stress that entire time. However, it seems that Boseman was much more collected, which allowed him to help his director enormously. Apparently, Coogler was constantly in fear of being fired from the film, but Boseman made a keen assurance to his collaborator. Coogler continued…
When I would be stressed on Panther, I would say, 'Man, I gotta hurry up and do this or I'm gonna get fired.' And he would say, 'Hey, man, stop saying that.’ He actually pulled me to the side and was like, 'Yo, stop saying that, man.' I'm like, 'No, I truly believe that.’ He was like, 'Yo, I'm not going to let anything happen to you... I'm not letting nobody fire you, bro, so please stop saying that. Relax, man. Do your work, enjoy it.' That very act of being present, he was so good at that. So I think about that all the time.
Today, Ryan Coogler is making deals with Warner Bros. that might change the way that directors work with studios for decades. He not only made one of the most successful original movies in years, but he's changing the industry. Nevermind that he made Black Panther -- one of the biggest movies in one of the biggest franchises ever. It's a really good thing he was never fired, because cinema would be poorer without Ryan Coogler.
We also certainly lost a talented actor when Chadwick Boseman passed away, but we clearly also lost a great man, who truly understood how to enjoy life and who made his friends better. Check out Boseman's work, including Black Panther, which is streamable with a Disney+ subscription.
