Actor Michael B. Jordan opened up about the death of his “Black Panther” co-star and friend Chadwick Boseman in a heartfelt Instagram post Monday.
In his first statement since Boseman's death Friday, Jordan said that it has been hard for him to find the words to convey his emotions. The actor died Friday at the age of 43 after a private battle with colon cancer that began in 2016.
“I wish we had more time,” Jordan wrote Monday. “One of the last times we spoke, you said we were forever linked, and now the truth of that means more to me than ever.”
The 33-year-old Jordan noted that Boseman held an extraordinary influence over him, that he constantly learned and was motivated by his friend. Jordan said that Boseman held on to the things he loved and that his co-star cared deeply about “the kids, the community, our culture and humanity.”
“You cared about me. You are my big brother, but I never fully got a chance to tell you, or to truly give you your flowers while you were here,” Jordan wrote.
Jordan wrote several times, “I wish we had more time.” He noted that Boseman’s death has reminded him that time with loved ones is limited and that he would always miss Boseman.
“I’ll miss the gift of sharing space with you in scenes,” Jordan wrote. "I’m dedicating the rest of my days to live the way you did. With grace, courage, and no regrets.”
The two men starred in Marvel’s 2018 blockbuster hit “Black Panther,” as cousins with dueling visions about the future for the fictional land of Wakanda. Jordan played “Killmonger,” a Wakandan who was born and raised in Oakland, while Boseman played T’Challa, king of Wakanda and the “Black Panther.”
Killmonger, the film's anti-hero, wants to use the technological advances of Wakanda, an African nation that was never colonized, to help oppressed Black people all over the world, while T’Challa wished to keep the nation hidden away.
Despite playing the title hero, Boseman insisted in a 2018 interview on “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” that there was no villain in the film. Boseman went on to say that everyone should be the hero in their own story.
“I don’t think there’s a villain in this movie,” Boseman said. “I think you have two sides of the same coin: the Killmonger story and the T’Challa story.”