Chadwick Boseman has received his first Golden Globe nomination for his performance in Netflix’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. The late actor, who died following a private battle with colon cancer in August 2020, earned the posthumous nomination in the Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama category.
Having received a lot of praise from the critics for his portrayal of a young trumpet player named Levee Green in the film, with many referring to it as his finest performance, his nomination was expected by a lot of his fans. The movie marks his last on-screen performance, with him appearing along with Viola Davis, who also earned a nomination for her role of Ma Rainey, a blues singer often referred to as the “Mother of the Blues”.
The Netflix musical is set in 1927 Chicago and is based on August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 1982 play of the same name, narrating the tale of a recording session with Rainey and her band members inside a Chicago music studio. The main focus of the movie is the racial tension in the music world at the time. Apart from having a strong script, the movie garnered a lot of attention for being Boseman’s final performance. Just as the movie ends, director George C. Wolfe, in a simple gesture, dedicated the project to Boseman. Before the credits begin, a black screen appears with the text, “Dedicated to Chadwick Boseman, in celebration of his artistry and heart.”
His character in the film is very different from that of Black Panther's King T'Challa of Wakanda, a role for which Boseman is recognized. However, the versatility in his performance has led to many believing he is a frontrunner in this year’s entire award season. Netflix confirmed earlier this year that it will be campaigning for Boseman to receive a nomination in the Best Actor category at the 93rd Academy Awards as well.
Apart from that, Netflix also plans to promote his work in Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods for the Best Supporting Actor nomination, which could potentially land him double acting nominations at this year’s Oscars ceremony. So far, only two actors have ever won a posthumous Oscar - Peter Finch won Best Actor for his role in 1976’s Network and Heath Ledger won the Best Supporting Actor award for his role the Joker in The Dark Knight, released in 2008.
Boseman has already received recognition for his role in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom in the form of a Gotham Award in January this year, which was accepted by his widow Taylor Simone Leward. Other actors nominated for the Golden Globe in the same category are Riz Ahmed for Sound of Metal, Anthony Hopkins for The Father, Gary Oldman for Netflix's Mank, and Tahar Rahim for The Mauritanian.
The 78th annual Golden Globe Awards will air on February 28, 2021.
Source: Golden Globes