YouTube Selection: Chadwick Boseman On SNL

When news came of Chadwick Boseman’s passing, I was, like many people, shocked.  He hadn’t let out how sick he was or for how long.  He was a young man, younger than me, and he never let on he may have been dying in most if not every movie I saw him in.  I don’t think I’ve been this surprised by a celebrity death since Robin Williams.

So, for this silly feature I do most weeks, here’s Boseman reprising his most famous character on Saturday Night Live.

Of all the performance Boseman gave, why choose this one?  Simply put, I like how much he gives into something so silly.  It would be easy to just read the cue cards and try to get a laugh, but Boseman here is really enjoying himself and there’s a bit of something there beyond simply reciting the lines.  Like, he isn’t just doing a bit; he’s actually King T’Challa on a game show with rules he doesn’t quite understand at first.

Besides, when T’Challa does figure out the right answer, it’s a thing of beauty.