Chadwick Boseman was honored in more ways than one at last night’s Screen Actors Guild Awards. Up for two awards, the late actor won in Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. His wife, Taylor Simone Ledward, accepted the posthumous award on his behalf with a heartfelt speech thanking the cast and crew, including playwright August Wilson, Viola Davis, and Colman Domingo, as well as Denzel Washington, producer and a longtime hero of Boseman’s. “If you see the world unbalanced, be a crusader that pushes heavily on the seesaw of the mind,†Ledward said. “That’s a quote by Chadwick Boseman. Thank you, Screen Actors. Thank you, Chad.†The 43-year-old star of Black Panther died in August 2020 of colon cancer. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom was his final performance. So far, it’s earned him a SAG and Golden Globe Award.
Boseman was also up for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods. The prize ultimately went to Daniel Kaluuya, who plays Illinois Black Panther Party chairman Fred Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah. But Kaluuya also honored the late actor in his acceptance speech Sunday night. “I want to share this with LaKeith Stanfield, Dominique Fishback, Jermaine Fowler, and all the incredible day players that show up,†he said, thanking his co-stars. “And Chairman Fred Hampton for guiding us and showing us his power, even though 52 years later. This one’s for Chadwick Boseman and this one is for Chairman Fred Hampton.†This is Kaluuya’s third nomination and second win at the SAG Awards, beating out Sacha Baron Cohen (The Trial of The Chicago 7), Jared Leto (The Little Things), and Leslie Odom Jr. (One Night in Miami)