How Chadwick Boseman made ’21 Bridges’ a more diverse detective story, and earned his producing stripes
Chadwick Boseman, the chameleonic actor who has played iconic figures both real (Jackie Robinson, James Brown and Thurgood Marshall) and imagined (Prince T’Challa, a.k.a. Black Panther), is adding a new role to his arsenal: producer.
With the crime thriller “21 Bridges,” the actor earns his first official producing credit, a title he says is long overdue.
“Once you have seen the full scope of what it takes to tell a story in a collaborative process, there’s sort of this need to facilitate it,” he said in advance of the film’s Nov. 22 release. “You feel a need to help bring this thing [to life], to birth it. You’re sort of a midwife where you nurture not just your own art but other people’s. If you have a perspective or a way of mediating or solving problems, that’s really what producing is.
“Some people have that ability and they don’t get credit for it,” he added. “I would say for years I’ve been doing that and didn’t get credit for it. So right now it’s just a naming, I’m taking my credit.”
Directed by Brian Kirk, “21 Bridges” is a gritty New York drama about a detective (played by Boseman) on the hunt for a pair of cop killers. It marks Boseman’s first venture outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since “Black Panther” electrified the box office last year.
Joe and Anthony Russo, who worked with Boseman on three consecutive films (“Avengers: Infinity War,” “Endgame” and now “21 Bridges,” where they also serve as producers) attested to the actor’s unique dedication to the larger story.
“What we love about Chadwick is he is very creatively sophisticated,” said Joe Russo. “He’s not only an actor but he’s a filmmaker. He thinks in terms of story as much as he thinks in terms of his character. He brought a level of nuance to this character that very few actors can.”
Anthony Russo called Boseman’s range as an actor “breathtakingly dynamic.”
“He has an amazing creative instinct as an artist,” Russo said. “I think it’s fascinating watching him move through his career. I love people like him who just have this crazy original road and you can’t really predict where it’s going to go. And I think he brings the same thing to the table as a producer. He has an artistic depth to him and a soulful depth to him that is present in any project.”
