Before Chadwick Boseman became one of Hollywood’s leading men, he worked side jobs in New York City to pay the bills while launching his career.

AshleyAnn Richardson of Gowanus in Brooklyn said when she was just 17, Boseman was her acting teacher at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem.

What You Need To Know

  • Boseman taught acting to youth at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem in 2008

  • Boseman attended the Digital Film Academy in Hell’s Kitchen in Manhattan

  • A former instructor describes Boseman as a shooting star passing through

It was experience she’ll never forget. “What I loved about him as a person was, the way the world sees him is how he was as a teacher,” she said.

Richardson, who is now 30, said every Saturday for eight weeks, Boseman led her class of more than two dozen 11th and 12th graders as part of the center’s Junior Scholars program.
 

 

She credits the “Black Panther” star for encouraging her to pursue a career in writing.

"I didn’t really care for theater,” Richardson said. “I was a big writer and I wrote a poem and I didn’t want to read it, and he had another girl read it, and she actually performed my poem for me, and he was like, 'You need to continue writing!' And it’s so funny he said that, because from there on, I went into writing.”

Twelve years later, Richardson now teaches writing to third graders.

The Schomburg Center said Boseman had a long connection the organization. Following his death, officials said it was proud to have Boseman as part of its extended family.

Boseman often spoke about his connection to the center in interviews. He even wore a Schomburg T-shirt in a February 2018 Instagram post, just a few days after “Black Panther” was released in movie theaters.

Patrick DiRenna, the founder and president of Digital Film Academy in Manhattan, taught Boseman more than 10 years ago but never forgot the actor's commitment to developing his craft.

“He took our 12-week program,” said DiRenna. “One of the courses in the program was Acting for Directors, which I taught myself, that he was in. And I remember him. Out of all the students at the time, I remember him and his perception.”
 


DiRenna described the young actor as a shooting star passing through.

“His thesis film was really very good!” said DiRenna. “It’s called ‘Blood Over A Broken Pawn.’ I believe it’s on his IMDB. It shows a level of sophistication, production sophistication, emotional sophistication, and artistic, creative sophistication. Very, very good!”

High praise for an actor who made a lasting impression in the city.