Simone Ledward Boseman reveals the Oscar speech she wrote for Chadwick Boseman that was never heard
Chadwick Boseman was not just an actor. He was the kind of presence that made you sit up straight in your seat. From 'Black Panther' to ' Ma Rainey's Black Bottom ,' every role he took on felt like he was pouring something real into it, something that went far beyond a script. What the world did not know was that he was doing all of that while privately fighting colon cancer. He never let it show. He kept working, kept showing up, kept giving. When he passed away on August 28, 2020, it shattered people.
Following his demise, Chadwick was nominated posthumously for Best Actor for 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom,' and the entire ceremony had quietly been built around the assumption that his name would close the show. His widow, Simone Ledward Boseman , was there, carrying something most people in that room did not know about. A speech. Written by her, for him, just in case.
In a rare interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she spoke about it and wondered if she still had it. She checked her Notes app, and it was still there. "I had written a whole speech," she said. "I wonder if I have it in my Notes. Oh! It says: I will never stop thanking God for you. Thank you to the most high God. Thank you, Carolyn and Leroy Boseman, and your mothers, and your mothers' mothers. What purity. What honesty. What pain. What a role. What work. What beautiful, intricate humanity. What courage, bravery, fearlessness, honesty, commitment, humanity, strength. A spirit that refused to surrender to despair. What an actor. What an artist. What a cast. What a team. What a vision. Glory be to the most high God. Long live the King."
A season of grief and graceMost of the world had no idea Chadwick had been quietly fighting colon cancer for years. Simone talked about that period carefully and with a lot of love. "It's so strange to talk about it in these words because obviously, with COVID so many people lost loved ones. But the timing of the lockdown for what we were going through was honestly ideal. I am really grateful for that time."
After his passing, every time Chadwick's name was called at any award ceremony, it was Simone who walked up. She did not just wing those speeches. She went through his notebooks, looking for something that still felt like him. "It was very cathartic to be able to talk about him, but it was challenging to figure out what I was going to say because I couldn't say what he was going to say. I wanted people to be able to hear from him in whatever way they could, so I started leafing through his notebooks to find: 'What could I give that still felt it held his spirit?' It was an honor to be able to do that for him."
Oscar night was April 25, 2021, at Union Station in Los Angeles. She walked in with his best friend, Logan Coles, and his publicist, Nicki Fioravante, beside her. Still, the absence was impossible to fill. "I felt a lot of pressure to get it right in that moment. I went with his best friend, Logan Coles, and his publicist, Nicki Fioravante, and so it's not like I was alone. But just to not have him there? I wish I had the words to say how alone it really did feel."
The show had been structured to end with Best Actor. Everyone in that room expected one outcome. Then Joaquin Phoenix opened the envelope and read out Anthony Hopkins. The room went quiet. Hopkins, at 83, became the oldest Best Actor winner in Oscar history. "And then it was over," Simone said. "It was awkward. It was maybe more than a little bit uncomfortable. But to be nominated for best actor is still an incredible accomplishment and is still recognition of his work. I don't think that it was the intention of the producers for it to be uncomfortable. Looking back, it would have been better if best picture was last. It would've been a nice reset before the end of the night to have another celebratory moment, for someone that was hopefully able to walk up onstage and accept the award and give a speech and all of that."
Something Denzel Washington had done earlier in the season stayed with her through all of it. He had given everyone on the cast a dog tag with the words "Man gives the award, God gives the reward" engraved on it. Simone said, "I think that that summed it up really perfectly." It was the kind of reminder that cuts through everything.
The morning after, Hopkins posted a video from his home in Wales. "Good morning. Here I am in my homeland in Wales, and at 83 years of age, I did not expect to get this award. I really didn't. And I'm very grateful to the Academy, and thank you. And I want to pay tribute to Chadwick Boseman, who was taken from us far too early. And again, thank you all very much. I feel very privileged and honored. Thank you."
Simone was moved by it. "It was very beautiful and very wonderful and very kind and thoughtful of him to include Chad in his acceptance speech. It's not something that he had to do."
Five years on, the speech that never got its moment on that stage has finally been heard, and somehow, it still feels like it was worth the wait.
Following his demise, Chadwick was nominated posthumously for Best Actor for 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom,' and the entire ceremony had quietly been built around the assumption that his name would close the show. His widow, Simone Ledward Boseman , was there, carrying something most people in that room did not know about. A speech. Written by her, for him, just in case.
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In a rare interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she spoke about it and wondered if she still had it. She checked her Notes app, and it was still there. "I had written a whole speech," she said. "I wonder if I have it in my Notes. Oh! It says: I will never stop thanking God for you. Thank you to the most high God. Thank you, Carolyn and Leroy Boseman, and your mothers, and your mothers' mothers. What purity. What honesty. What pain. What a role. What work. What beautiful, intricate humanity. What courage, bravery, fearlessness, honesty, commitment, humanity, strength. A spirit that refused to surrender to despair. What an actor. What an artist. What a cast. What a team. What a vision. Glory be to the most high God. Long live the King."
A season of grief and graceMost of the world had no idea Chadwick had been quietly fighting colon cancer for years. Simone talked about that period carefully and with a lot of love. "It's so strange to talk about it in these words because obviously, with COVID so many people lost loved ones. But the timing of the lockdown for what we were going through was honestly ideal. I am really grateful for that time."
After his passing, every time Chadwick's name was called at any award ceremony, it was Simone who walked up. She did not just wing those speeches. She went through his notebooks, looking for something that still felt like him. "It was very cathartic to be able to talk about him, but it was challenging to figure out what I was going to say because I couldn't say what he was going to say. I wanted people to be able to hear from him in whatever way they could, so I started leafing through his notebooks to find: 'What could I give that still felt it held his spirit?' It was an honor to be able to do that for him."
Oscar night was April 25, 2021, at Union Station in Los Angeles. She walked in with his best friend, Logan Coles, and his publicist, Nicki Fioravante, beside her. Still, the absence was impossible to fill. "I felt a lot of pressure to get it right in that moment. I went with his best friend, Logan Coles, and his publicist, Nicki Fioravante, and so it's not like I was alone. But just to not have him there? I wish I had the words to say how alone it really did feel."
The show had been structured to end with Best Actor. Everyone in that room expected one outcome. Then Joaquin Phoenix opened the envelope and read out Anthony Hopkins. The room went quiet. Hopkins, at 83, became the oldest Best Actor winner in Oscar history. "And then it was over," Simone said. "It was awkward. It was maybe more than a little bit uncomfortable. But to be nominated for best actor is still an incredible accomplishment and is still recognition of his work. I don't think that it was the intention of the producers for it to be uncomfortable. Looking back, it would have been better if best picture was last. It would've been a nice reset before the end of the night to have another celebratory moment, for someone that was hopefully able to walk up onstage and accept the award and give a speech and all of that."
Something Denzel Washington had done earlier in the season stayed with her through all of it. He had given everyone on the cast a dog tag with the words "Man gives the award, God gives the reward" engraved on it. Simone said, "I think that that summed it up really perfectly." It was the kind of reminder that cuts through everything.
The morning after, Hopkins posted a video from his home in Wales. "Good morning. Here I am in my homeland in Wales, and at 83 years of age, I did not expect to get this award. I really didn't. And I'm very grateful to the Academy, and thank you. And I want to pay tribute to Chadwick Boseman, who was taken from us far too early. And again, thank you all very much. I feel very privileged and honored. Thank you."
Simone was moved by it. "It was very beautiful and very wonderful and very kind and thoughtful of him to include Chad in his acceptance speech. It's not something that he had to do."
Five years on, the speech that never got its moment on that stage has finally been heard, and somehow, it still feels like it was worth the wait.
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