Here are the highlights of what he had to say during the Q&A.
Question: What was the first thing you did to find your performance as James Brown?
CHADWICK BOSEMAN: Theres no first thing, to be honest with you.
You just have to dive into every aspect, and we tested it.
Everybody was like, Are we crazy for trying to do this?
So, the producers, the director and myself all wanted to test this out.
We started with the dance moves.
If I couldnt do that, there would be no reason to even try this.
Not to say that, when I started, I was good, but we saw potential.
Were the dance moves a situation where you could either do them, or you just cant?
BOSEMAN: They should probably have a James Brown aerobic tape.
You would lose a lot of weight.
We thought about shooting that, at one point, as a joke.
You have to put a lot of work in.
I have to credit the choreographer/coach, Aakomon Jones, who was a drill sergeant.
It was five hours a day of dancing.
How did your family feel about you playing James Brown?
Im so happy for you!
With Black Panther, everybody called and said, Congratulations!
For this, nobody called.
My sister said, Boy, you cant dance!
We shot in Mississippi.
She could not believe what she was watching.
It was the best thing because she was the one person who said it out loud.
She loved me enough to actually say, You know, you might be making a mistake.
Critics said that you were a man possessed in this performance.
Did you feel that way while you were doing it?
But I would imagine that when people are possessed, they dont know it.
If you knew it, youd go have an exorcism.
The thing about it is that there are movies and TV shows and roles that are jobs.
This was not a job.
What is your recollection of the days you spent working so closely with Viola Davis?
BOSEMAN: Its like the Super Bowl.
You prepare for that day.
You prepare for any scene youre going to shoot.
With her, she sizes you up, the first time she meets you.
We would be in hair and make-up, and nothing.
She might say hello, but there were no real conversations.
I had to be ready for whatever she would bring.
How did playing James Brown affect you, personally?
Theres no way of doing that, but trying to do that helped to make me a better artist.
Hopefully, I will continue to strive to live up to that.
BOSEMAN: You have a go at tell the Marvel fans that he isnt real.
Thats even more scary.
I would rather have something that I can put my whole life into.
You want to be able to say that you did something that was a challenge and that changed you.
For me, thats all that its about.
You put that punch in of energy into each thing, regardless of what it is.
What is one movie that came out in 2014 that you loved and would recommend?
BOSEMAN: There were so many.
The directing of that movie was outstanding.
I would recommend that.
