Weeks after the tragic death of Chadwick Boseman, the world is still learning about his heroic and selfless actions.
In an interview with Empire, Boseman's 21 Bridges co-star Sienna Miller revealed that Boseman was the reason she landed the role of detective Frankie Burns. She also said that Boseman fought for her to achieve equal pay and even donated some of his own salary to compensate.
"He produced 21 Bridges, and had been really active in trying to get me to do it," said Miller. "He was a fan of my work, which was thrilling, because it was reciprocated from me to him, tenfold. So he approached me to do it, he offered me this film, and it was at a time when I really didn't want to work anymore. I'd been working non-stop and I was exhausted, but then I wanted to work with him."
Miller also addressed the pay disparity in Hollywood and revealed that Boseman used part of his salary to pay Miller what she deserved. "I didn't know whether or not to tell this story, and I haven't yet. But I am going to tell it, because I think it's a testament to who he was," said Miller. "This was a pretty big budget film, and I know that everybody understands about the pay disparity in Hollywood, but I asked for a number that the studio wouldn't get to. And because I was hesitant to go back to work and my daughter was starting school and it was an inconvenient time, I said, 'I'll do it if I'm compensated in the right way.' And Chadwick ended up donating some of his salary to get me to the number that I had asked for. He said that that was what I deserved to be paid."
Miller believed that Boseman's generosity deserved recognition as it was unprecedented in the film industry. "It was about the most astounding thing that I've experienced," she said. "That kind of thing just doesn't happen. He said, 'You're getting paid what you deserve, and what you're worth.' It's just unfathomable to imagine another man in that town behaving that graciously or respectfully. In the aftermath of this I've told other male actor friends of mine that story and they all go very very quiet and go home and probably have to sit and think about things for a while. But there was no showiness, it was, 'Of course I'll get you to that number, because that's what you should be paid.'"
Boseman passed away on Aug. 28, after a long battle with colon cancer. Although he was diagnosed in 2016, the actor kept his condition quiet and continued to film movies, including 21 Bridges, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Da 5 Bloods. Boseman's last confirmed movie role will be in Netflix's adaptation of the play Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.