Chadwick Boseman 'channeled the divine,' Viola Davis says at his Walk of Fame ceremony

Viola Davis made her feelings rather wide Thursday connected the Hollywood Walk of Fame: She misses Chadwick Boseman astir unbearably.

So adjacent to unbearably that — adjacent though it’s been much than 5 years since his decease — Boseman’s co-star successful “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” started her code astatine his prima dedication ceremonial by saying she couldn’t notation to him arsenic “gone” and couldn’t nexus the connection “death” to his memory.

“Chadwick, you channeled the divine,” said Davis, 60. “You were a conduit, a root of connectiveness that each azygous quality being ... that is connected this Earth is searching for. Trying to link to each other, trying to link to our art, trying to cognize — similar the Cherokee commencement blessing — whitethorn we unrecorded agelong capable to recognize wherefore we were born.

“That was Chadwick. More than conscionable an histrion who you tin observe onscreen doing fantastic work. It was enactment that reminded america that we are little alone.”

Boseman got his 1 Oscar nomination, posthumously, for his pb histrion show arsenic Levee successful “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” Davis was besides nominated for her portrayal of Ma Rainey.

“It’s champion to usage each of life. Leave decease thing but the dregs. Nothing but a burned-out castle. And Chadwick was a castle,” Davis told the assemblage that assembled successful Hollywood contempt the menace of rain. “Chadwick was a mighty, mighty elixir that benignant of stirred up that alchemy that we’re each successful hunt of, which is meaning.”

Boseman died astatine property 43 from colon cancer, a four-year conflict helium kept from the nationalist until his decease connected Aug. 28, 2020.

“A existent fighter, Chadwick persevered done it each and brought you galore of the films you person travel to emotion truthful much,” work the connection his squad posted online that Friday. “From ‘Marshall’ to ‘Da 5 Bloods,’ August Wilson’s ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’ and respective more, each were filmed during and betwixt countless surgeries and chemotherapy. It was the grant of his vocation to bring King T’Challa to beingness successful ‘Black Panther.’”

Boseman’s star, the 2,828th connected the Walk of Fame, is astatine 6904 Hollywood Blvd., successful beforehand of the Hollywoodland Experience store.