Prove Them WRONG & NEVER Give Up | Chadwick Boseman’s Rules for SUCCESS in 18 Minutes

Every day, every other day, there's something you get and you're like, "Man, I can't do that." When you make these movies, it's like you go away from the people you love. You know, you can bring them to you on set, but you're spending months away from your loved ones and friends. I root for everybody because I know if they do well, the truth is, it presents an opportunity for me.

Need motivation? Watch a top 10 with Believe Nation! What's up, it's Evan. My one word is believe, and I believe in you. I believe you have an amazing gift inside you that I want to see explode out onto the world. So let's get your motivation to a 10 and get you believing in you. Grab a snack and chew on today's lessons from a man who went from writing a play in high school because one of his classmates was shot and killed to becoming an actor known for playing Jackie Robinson in the movie 42 and being the Black Panther. Black Panther. He's Chadwick Boseman, and here's my take on his top 10 rules of success. Enjoy! Alright, let's kick things off with rule number 1, my personal favorite: Prove them wrong.

What is the message to the world with Black Panther? Uh, I think the message is that it works. To have, you know, a Black cast. That it worked. It works. You know, it works that our stories can resonate not just in this country but throughout the world. We've been on a tour showing the movie. We went to South Korea just before the Olympics came. And their excitement, we were like the Beatles when we showed up. Like, I'm not playing. It was amazing. Enjoy it. Yeah. And in London, so it's that— The idea that a Black movie can't travel, that's been said very often. Mm-hmm. When studios talk about funding movies, they will make that statement that, you know, we don't sell overseas. Yeah. It's the exact opposite. It seems to be.

Rule number 2 is don't compromise your beliefs.

What's up, man? I want to ask you a question that was asked to Denzel once.

I really wanted to get your response on it. Was there ever a role you didn't take because it went against your beliefs?

Huh. Are you asking— How much time do you have? Are you asking a specific role? You want to know what the role was? Because this happens literally every day. Every day, every other day, there's something you get and you're like, man, I can't do that. Like, the one that sticks out in my mind, and I cannot remember the name. The name of this movie because it just didn't grab me as far as me doing it. But I was going to play the— this was after 42. I was going to play, supposed to play the second lead, so the sidekick, right? And the character could not read. He could not drive and he couldn't swim. And I talked to the producers and directors and I was like, okay, 'cause sometimes you get a script and you'll see some things in it and you're like, well, this could be good, this could be good, but can you change this and this? And I was just like, okay, let's just start. With the fact that there's no reason why he cannot read. Like, there's no reason why he shouldn't be able to drive. Like, if he's— and he was supposed to be a criminal. I was like, well, how is he doing all these crimes if he can't drive? Like, how is he getting away?

His mom.

You know, like, what is he doing? Like, mom, come on. Oh, I need you to come pick me up from the bank. You know, like, it's ridiculous. I was like, what? And then he couldn't swim. It was just adding insult to injury. So it, to me, is always though, I always use that as my like, you know, if a character has any of those tones, I say, I tell my friends, it's one of those he can't read, he can't drive, he can't swim roles, you know?

Rule number 3, don't give up on your dreams.

I studied directing at Howard. So even though I was, you know, thinking of theater and thinking of film, I was thinking about, about being behind the camera or being in the audience blocking scenes as opposed to being on stage. And is there a point where it got more serious as an actor and you kind of gave up the directing, your day job? I haven't given it up. I still haven't given it up. No, I think directing isn't my future. I recently sold a pitch. To Universal, so I'm writing something. You know, so it's not like I've given that up. It's just that, you know, I'm kind of on a ride right now and I shouldn't get off of it.

Rule number 4, find your path.

I got my friends together essentially to perform something I had written. It was like my, I guess my junior year of high school. You know, a close friend of mine at that time helped me to sort of write this thing. It was fun. It was like, you know, I don't think we really knew what we were doing. I didn't know what it felt like, you know, to be a director or to be an actor. But we had fun telling the story, and the audience loved it. I felt like we had good music. You know, music probably helped to push the story along in a way that I probably wouldn't do now. But it was just a fun thing to do. With your friends. And I think that was the experience that set me on this path.

Rule number 5: Study the greats. I do have to ask you about Harrison Ford. I mean, seriously, dude, you're working against Harrison Ford.

What is that like? I mean, it's like getting up for the big game. That's what it is. You circle those scenes on the schedule and say, you know, This is the big game. This is Lakers-Celtics, you know, this is Bulls-Detroit, this is the Red Sox and Yankees, you know, that's what it is. So I just looked at it as, you know, this is why you play the game.

What do you learn from a man like him? He's been around for a while.

Well, you learn from his experience. I mean, there's certain things that you can ask him that you don't learn when you go to acting school, you know. You don't learn those things in a classroom. You don't, and you might not, you're not, you're not gonna learn it on other sets because he's, he's played the lead before. That's what he, he's a leading man. And, uh, in this case, um, I'm playing the lead. It would be a, it would be a foolish thing to not ask him, you know, certain things about how to do that. So I asked him small things at moments and then at other moments I just watched him on set. I watched how he, uh, his rapport with the crew. I watched, you know, the way that he understood how things moved around him. Little tricks of the trade, and you just pick them up.

Rule number 6: Have a great work ethic.

[MUSIC] [FOREIGN LANGUAGE] It was really just a regiment every day, just dance rehearsal, 5 days a week, vocal rehearsals 2 or 3 times a week, and reading and watching footage. I never could let a day pass because we had such a limited amount of time doing it. And I have to credit that work ethic, credit 42 for that, because it was It was a similar process. If it had not been for going through that, there was no way I could even wrap my head around this process. So that's pretty much what it was, just diving in every day. It was James Brown from as soon as your feet hit the floor.

[SPEAKING CHINESE] [Speaker:MICHAEL CAVNA] This man had 2 months.

He was not a trained dancer. He had 2 months to prepare for what you saw. Which is amazing.

Rule number 7: Work on challenging stuff.

When you make these movies, it's like you go away from the people you love. You know, you can bring them to you on set, but you're spending months away from your loved ones and friends, and you're spending like most of the hours of your day concentrating on this, you know, for months in advance of shooting. And you're spending months promoting it after it's over. So you look at every film, you're like, "Oh, that's a whole year of my life," you know, in some form or fashion. So to have something that you really feel like is gonna be interesting and cool and a challenge, like, there's nothing you want more than that.

Rule number 8: Root for others to win.

We're in a time right now where I— love it and relish the fact that when I shot Black Panther, I'm shooting it with Michael B. Jordan. Right. And we can coexist. But there's this thing of, if you're making movies and you're doing well, people start to say, "Oh, he's the next Denzel," or he's that.

Right.

Making your success be based upon the idea that there can only be one of you. And we as actors, we talk about this. We talk about how debilitating that is, how negative it is, how, you know, it's also frightening, you know what I'm saying, to a certain degree, because you feel like it divides and conquers. It makes us—

Pitch you against each other.

Pits us against each other, exactly. So I root for Idris Elba. I root for David and Michael. And I root for everybody, because I know if they do well, The truth is it presents an opportunity for me.

Rule number 9, care.

You know, there are two little kids, Ian and Taylor, who recently passed from cancer. And throughout our filming, I was communicating with them, knowing that they were both terminal. And what they said to me is, and their parents said, they just, they're trying to hold on till this movie comes. And to a certain degree, you hear them say that and you're like, phew, like, wow. That's like, I gotta get up and go to the gym. I gotta get up and go to work. You know, I gotta learn these lines. I gotta work on this accent. You know, seeing how devoted all of my castmates are and knowing that that will be something meaningful to them. But it's, to a certain degree, it's a humbling experience because you're like, this can't mean that much. To them, you know. But seeing how the world has taken this on, seeing how the movement, how it's taken on a life of its own, I realize that they anticipated something great. And I think back now to a kid and just, you know, waiting for Christmas to come, waiting for my birthday to come. Waiting for a toy that was going to, that I was gonna get a chance to experience, or a video game. I did live life waiting for those moments. And so what put me back in the mind of being a kid, just to experience those two little boys' anticipation of this movie. And when I found out that they, phew. Take your time with it. Yeah, it's, it means a lot. Thank you, man. Oh yeah, buddy. Take your time with it.

And rule number 10, the last rule before some very special bonus clips, is sing.

The reality of this show, you know, ends in song.

Ah, I'm not gonna ask you to— you'll never sing a James Brown song. I just accepted it.

It's just weird when You know, with—

It's okay, you don't have to.

I don't have to sing? No, you have to sing. No, no, come on.

You're T'Challa. This guy has taken on everything. He's fearless. You're Black Panther. You couldn't shy away from a little bit of something.

Hmm. Let me see what I sing. Uh. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Grandma's hands clapped in church on Sunday morning. Grandma's hands played the tambourine so well. Grandma's hands used to issue I don't want in. She say, Chad, don't you run so fast, you might fall on a piece of glass. Might be snakes there in that grass. Grandma's hands.

Now I've got some very special bonus Chadwick clips around being different, being the best, and learning how to say no that I think you're really going to enjoy. But before that, my question of the day is, Have you seen the Black Panther and did you like it or not? I saw it, I loved it. I want to know what you think. Leave it down in the comments below. Thank you guys so much for watching. I believe in you. I hope you continue to believe in yourself and whatever your one word is.

Much love.

I'll see you soon and enjoy the bonus clips.

Assimilating all this James Brown, your performance on set when you're finally on set shooting your experience is much like other films? When I read the script, I didn't expect it to be written the way it's written. I didn't expect the direct address. I didn't expect, you know, the nonlinear storytelling. You know, I didn't expect it to be as, you know, as different, as hip as it is. In a certain way. And, um, I felt like that's usually what I'm looking for, is something that— it has something different to it. So, um, I want to be a part of that. That idea of Wakanda popped up in certain ways in my travels and in my readings.

For you, it was Kismet.

Yes, exactly.

A role that's a departure for Boseman, who rose to fame playing historical figures. Jackie Robinson in '42. Hit it!

James Brown in "Get On Up." I certainly wouldn't be here if it were not for those men that I portrayed. Seeing me play those roles actually got me this role.

Marvel executives were so taken with Boseman that they pulled a move they almost never do. Chadwick didn't have to audition? Chadwick didn't. We were in a development meeting for Captain America: Civil War. Forgive me, is the brother that good? He is. He is that good. I asked them about that. They're like, "Mm-hmm." Give credit where credit is due.

You got to let them say that. I stand on, you know, on the shoulders of the men that I played. So when I'm walking through the lab and I'm feeling myself because I'm King and I'm with, you know, my sister, there's a little bit of James Brown. When I'm holding court, there's a little bit of Thurgood Marshall. What's the best piece of advice you ever got? Uh, learn when to say no. Learn when to say no. What's the worst piece of advice you ever got? Um, YOLO, you only live once. So let me give you the one word secret to happiness. One word. This is all you need to be happy. The most important word ever.

If you had to think of One word that's most important to you or that sums you up or that would be kind of like a little beacon. Hey, Believe Nation! If you want to know what the most important one word is for Tony Robbins, Gary Vaynerchuk, Oprah Winfrey, will.i.am, and Howard Schultz, I have a very special secret video for you. Check the description for details.