Seeing women challenge directors can only be a positive thing: Chadwick Boseman

Hollywood actor Chadwick Boseman, who essays the protagonist in "Black Panther", believes that seeing strong women, who are working with him, posing questions and not just plainly accepting things as they come can only be a positive thing.

"Black Panther" is among the first films by the house of Marvel Studios which predominantly has a black cast and also shows a number of strong women of substance who work as the protagonist T'Challa's (Boseman) allies.

Asked how comfortable he was working with so many female actresses during the shooting of the Ryan Coogler directorial?

Boseman told media here: "For me, it was a comfortable place having so many women allies in the film as I am constantly surrounded by a lot of women ... There are strong women I grew up with. With a strong mother who has strong sisters.

"They have always covered me throughout my life with prayers, lessons, encouragement. They have always in their own way shown that they are independent. So I have grown up with that my entire life," he added.

Boseman said that the camaraderie he shares with the women working with him is "beautiful" for him to be able to show the world.

"My team that would work with me everyday...to me it's a comfortable place and it is beautiful for me to be able to show that to the world. I was told a long time ago by a very wise man. He said 'a lot of times your key to success would be if you surround yourself with strong women'.

"So to be able to display that when I saw the script and I saw the character. I saw that wisdom that I was told a long time back. To see the strong women with me, to see them ask questions, challenge the directors, me .. that can only be a positive thing," added the 41-year-old actor.

Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, "Black Panther" also features Michael B Jordon, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Angela Bassett, Forest Whittaker and Martin Freeman among others. The film is scheduled to release in India on February 16.

(The writer's trip is at the invitation of Disney. She can be contacted at kishori.s@ians.in)

--IANS

ks/sug/bg