Harrison Ford on ’42’ Co-Star Chadwick Boseman: ‘As Much a Hero as Any He Played’

The tributes continue to pour in for Chadwick Boseman after he lost his battle with stage four colon cancer. The latest celebrity to chime in and pay honor to the late-actor is Harrison Ford, who starred alongside Boseman in 42, which told the story of Jackie Robinson. In that film, Ford played the part of Branch Rickey, the manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers who pushed for Robinson to join his team and break the color barrier.

In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Ford called him “as much a hero as any he played.” Boseman took on the roles of some of the most iconic figures in history, from Robinson to Thurgood Marshall and James Brown. Ford called him “as compelling, powerful and truthful” as all of the famous faces he portrayed on the big screen. Ford lauded Boseman for his intelligence and ability to bring to life these larger-than-life personas in all of the movies he tackled. After his passing, the Dodgers, who moved to Los Angeles from Brooklyn in 1958, held a moment of silence in Boseman’s honor.

ABC aired a special on Sunday that paid tribute to the 43-year-old. Some of Hollywood’s most recognizable faces spoke on Boseman’s impact, including a message from Robert Downey Jr., who starred as Iron Man in the Avengers movie franchise (which also featured Boseman’s T’Challa from Black Panther). Downey Jr. spoke very highly of Boseman’s ability to bring life T’Challa, calling it the “crowning achievement” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Noted for bringing to life a Black superhero that inspired the next generation, Downey Jr. said his role in the film “leveled the playing field.” Fellow Marvel actors, including Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner, and Sen. Kamala Harris, who recently was announced as Joe Biden’s running mate, also appeared in the special. Oprah Winfrey, too, spoke and referred to the “greatness” that was Boseman’s career.

Boseman’s family was the first to reveal the news of his passing on Friday. At the time, his cancer diagnosis four years prior was not known to the public or even to those close to him in the industry. Even his Black Panther director, Ryan Coogler, explained that he was never aware of what he was going through while filming the series of movies. Before his death, Boseman married his girlfriend, Taylor Ledward, whom he had been dating for a few years after first appearing together in 2015.