Following Chadwick Boseman’s shocking death from colon cancer last month, a number of people have shared positive stories that testify to his upstanding character.
In the upcoming November issue of Empire Magazine, one of his co-stars revealed his generous nature when he decided to take a pay cut to cover her salary.
Sienna Miller, who starred alongside Boseman in last year’s cinematic cop thriller 21 Bridges, revealed that as a producer for the movie, Boseman was instrumental in casting her for the role of detective Frankie Burns. She also mentioned, outside of not wanting to pass up the opportunity to work with him, he also “ended up donating some of his salary” so she would be properly compensated for her work.
“He produced 21 Bridges, and had been really active in trying to get me to do it,” Miller said. “He was a fan of my work, which was thrilling, because it was reciprocated from me to him, tenfold. So he approached me to do it, he offered me this film, and it was at a time when I really didn’t want to work anymore. I’d been working non-stop and I was exhausted, but then I wanted to work with him.
“I didn’t know whether or not to tell this story, and I haven’t yet. But I am going to tell it, because I think it’s a testament to who he was,” Miller said. “This was a pretty big-budget film, and I know that everybody understands about the pay disparity in Hollywood, but I asked for a number that the studio wouldn’t get to. And because I was hesitant to go back to work and my daughter was starting school and it was an inconvenient time, I said, ‘I’ll do it if I’m compensated in the right way.’ And Chadwick ended up donating some of his salary to get me to the number that I had asked for. He said that that was what I deserved to be paid.”
She continued, “It was about the most astounding thing that I’ve experienced. That kind of thing just doesn’t happen. He said, ‘You’re getting paid what you deserve, and what you’re worth.’ It’s just unfathomable to imagine another man in that town behaving that graciously or respectfully. In the aftermath of this I’ve told other male actor friends of mine that story and they all go very very quiet and go home and probably have to sit and think about things for a while. But there was no showiness, it was, ‘Of course I’ll get you to that number because that’s what you should be paid.’”
Chadwick was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2016 and battled with it for four years as it progressed to stage IV. He died in his home, with his wife and family by his side.