The sibling bond between Chadwick Boseman‘s T’Challa and Letitia Wright‘s Shuri is one of the numerous highlights of Black Panther, which presumably has a lot to do with the real-life bond that quickly formed between the two actors. As Boseman’s death continues to reverberate around the world, Wright shared a personal and touching visual poem on Instagram to honor the late actor.
In the 5-minute video, Wright narrates over a series of nature photos and candid moments featuring Boseman as she expresses the shock of losing the man she immediately loved as a brother. In an emotional moment, Wright shares that she messaged Boseman a few times before his death, but assumed he was just busy. “I didn’t know you were dealing with so much. But against all the odds, you remained focused on fulfilling your purpose with the time handed to you,” Wright says. “God told me that you are my brother and that I am to love you as such. And I always did, and I always will.”
You can watch Letitia Wright’s tribute to Chadwick Boseman below:
The instant connection between Boseman and Wright was also noted in Black Panther director Ryan Coogler’s tribute to Boseman who recalled the first time the actors met. While praising Boseman for coming to every audition for supporting roles, which most lead actors in major Hollywood movies don’t do, Coogler specifically remembered Wright’s ability to shatter Boseman’s defenses and break his stoic demeanor while in character.
“He was there for several M’Baku auditions,” Coogler wrote. “In Winston Duke’s, he turned a chemistry read into a wrestling match. Winston broke his bracelet. In Letitia Wright’s audition for Shuri, she pierced his royal poise with her signature humor, and would bring about a smile to T’Challa’s face that was 100% Chad.”