Viola Davis, Denzel Washington, more celebrate Chadwick Boseman in Netflix special Portrait of an Artist

Netflix will honor Chadwick Boseman in an upcoming special, Portrait of an Artist, set to debut on with the help of friends and collaborators including Viola Davis, Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, and Danai Gurira.

"You know you have to step up when you're in his presence," Davis, who starred alongside Boseman in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, says in the newly released trailer below. "He's looking at your work and he's really hyperfocused, on the craft, on the process. That's Chad."

Boseman died on August 28 due to complications from colon cancer after a private battle spanning four years. The artist continued to work while undergoing chemotherapy and having surgeries, completing films like Black Panther and Da 5 Bloods without disclosing his condition to collaborators.

"I'm Chadwick Boseman. I'm an artist," he says of himself in the trailer. "People call me an actor. I wouldn't necessarily call myself an actor. I would call myself an artist."

Others participating in the special include Brian Helgeland, Reginald Hudlin, Aakomon "AJ" Jones, Woodie King Jr., Branford Marsalis, Andile Nebulane, Taylour Paige, Phylicia Rashad, Tate Taylor, Glynn Turman, and George C. Wolfe.

Boseman is nominated for Best Actor at the 2021 Oscars for his role in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, and is heavily favored to win.

Portrait of an Artist will premiere on Netflix on April 17 at 3 a.m. ET/midnight PT, and will only be available for a limited 30-day window.

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