Chadwick Boseman seemingly hinted at secret cancer battle in resurfaced interview: 'One day I'll live to tell the story'

Chadwick Boseman may have played a superhero on screen in Black Panther, but it was the four-year cancer battle he fought behind closed doors that epitomised bravery.

Aside from his family, no one knew of Boseman's secret health battle up until his death on August 28, aged 43. But it appears the beloved actor may have alluded to his private pain in an interview with HuffPost in 2017, one year after he was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer.

Journalist Matthew Jacobs chatted to Boseman at the time, with the writer saying the actor's cryptic answer to a particular question makes perfect sense now.

"I interviewed Chadwick Boseman in 2017, and to think he was going through cancer while satisfying the physical demands of a Marvel movie…" Jacobs recalled on Twitter, as he shared a snippet of the interview.

READ MORE: Hollywood pays tribute to Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman

In their conversation, Jacobs asked Boseman if it was gruelling on his body to bulk up to play Black Panther in the Marvel movie then slim down to portray Thurgood Marshall, the first Black Supreme Court Justice in the 2017 legal drama, Marshall. 

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Boseman replied. "Oh, you don't even know [laughs]. You have no idea. One day I'll live to tell the story."

Boseman would go on to also star in Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, 21 Bridges, Da 5 Bloods and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, all while undergoing cancer treatment.

But it was his role in Black Panther that he cherished dearly.

"A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all and brought you many of the films you have come to love so much... all were filmed during and between countless surgeries and chemotherapy," read a statement released by his representative on August 29.

"It was the honor of his career to bring King T'Challa to life in Black Panther."