Ryan Coogler still hears Chadwick Boseman’s voice in his head at the exact moments pressure starts to pile up. While remembering their time on ‘Black Panther‘, Coogler shared the life-changing advice Boseman gave him when he caught him, “Stop saying that.”
Coogler says those three words corrected a mindset he didn’t even realise he was carrying every day. Boseman delivered it at such a critical moment that Coogler never forgot it.
Ryan Coogler Shares Chadwick Boseman’s Advice That He’ll Never Forget
Coogler opened up about Boseman during a recent appearance on Amy Poehler’s ‘Good Hang’ podcast, nearly six years after the actor died at age 43 due to colon cancer. He made it clear that Boseman’s influence still lives in the way he handles work, success, and the mental pressure that comes along with big moments.
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“When I look back at my relationship with him, it taught me so much,” Coogler reflected. He said the biggest lesson was not taking moments for granted, especially the ones that can pass too quickly when a person feels overwhelmed. Coogler admitted he wasn’t always present during major milestones earlier in his career.
And he added that he would walk into important opportunities feeling distracted, treating them like work, or letting imposter syndrome take over, rather than appreciating what was happening in real time.
Chadwick Boseman Helped Coogler Mid-spiral On ‘Black Panther’ Set
Stress hit hard during the making of ‘Black Panther‘, and Coogler said it started to show in how he talked about himself. Whenever the pressure built up, he would say, “Man, I gotta hurry up and do this, or I’m gonna get fired,” as if losing the job was just one mistake away.
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Boseman shut him down immediately. Coogler recalled Boseman telling him, “Hey, man, stop saying that,” then pulling him aside and repeating it more seriously: “Yo, stop saying that, man.” Coogler admitted he meant it when he said it, but Boseman refused to let him sit in that fear.
Boseman told him he wasn’t going to let anything happen to him and promised nobody was firing him. He urged Coogler to relax, do the work, and enjoy the process instead of drowning in panic. He said Boseman’s insistence on staying grounded helped him stabilise under pressure and get through the production without breaking down.
Coogler said he thinks about Boseman’s advice constantly, whenever it reminds him of the same pressure. He also carried this lesson to his current career, including the success of his new film ‘Sinners‘. He said he used to experience achievements like podcast invitations and awards-season press as stressful obligations.
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