Black Panther director says Chadwick Boseman “freaked out” Disney execs by never breaking character and only speaking in T’Challa’s accent

Sinners director Ryan Coogler recently spoke about his former collaborator, the late Chadwick Boseman, and the dedication the Black Panther star applied to his superhero role. During an appearance on The Breakfast Show, promoting his upcoming vampire flick, which has earned an impressive Rotten Tomatoes score, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker expressed his gratitude for crossing paths with the beloved star before his death in 2020 at 43. Coogler explained that even now, his impact remains with the director and the star of his new film, Michael B. Jordan, who played opposite Boseman as one of the best MCU villains, Kilmonger. In fact, he left such a mark that both discussed what Sinners could’ve looked like with Boseman on board.

“He changed my life. He was the kind of teacher who you never knew you was getting a lesson when he taught,” Coogler explained. “It was all by example, and what he gave me and Michael was patience. He moved at an old-school pace, and he took his time. He was always early. He was that type of dude. And Mike will tell you this, I told him, man, I said, ‘Hey bro, what would Chad do in this role? If he had this role, what would he do?’ Because Chad never broke action.”