Lupita Nyong'o praises 'our king' Chadwick Boseman for 'Black Panther' success
— -- Lupita Nyong'o praised on social media this week her "Black Panther" co-star Chadwick Boseman for leading the way as the film broke down barriers and box office records in its opening weekend.
"Imitation is the best form of flattery: @chadwickboseman I admire your quiet, confident, regal nature. You brought the wealth of all your knowledge, wisdom and physicality to T'Challa. You led us into the land of Wakanda without ego, without pretense, without fear," the Oscar winner wrote in her post on Monday, which included a side-by-side shot of the actress recreating Boseman's recent Rolling Stone cover.
She continued, "We reap the benefits now squarely because of your courage, your fierce dedication, your intense passion, and your grueling workout regimen. And I will never get enough of the way you say the word 'because.' We celebrate BREAKING BOX OFFICE RECORDS with @blackpanther for many reasons, but chief among them is because we had you as our king."
Nyong'o's powerful words come after the film earned north of $400 million globally over President's Day weekend, $242 million domestically, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The film pulled in $40.2 million on Monday, which was the best all-time for any Monday, beating out 2015's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."
It was also the second biggest opening for a superhero flick, coming in just behind 2012's "The Avengers."
But what wasn't surprising were the kind words from Nyong'o. Boseman had spent a lot of his campaigning for the film, talking all about his superheroic female co-stars like Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, and Angela Bassett.
"She's just an amazing person," Boseman said about Nyong'o during a visit to "Popcorn with Peter Travers." In the film, Nyong'o plays Boseman's love interest and a hero in her own right. "[She] really pays attention to detail, loves the smaller things of life, not just on screen," he added.
About Gurira, who plays Okoye in the film, Boseman said, "She's the protection that allows me not to have to walk around and wear this Black Panther outfit all the time. In a sense, she's my right hand."
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