Sean “Diddy” Combs almost landed the role of James Brown in the movie Get On Up, instead of Chadwick Boseman. The revelation was made by one of Combs’ former assistants during his sex-trafficking trial. Get On Up is a biographical film that was released on August 1, 2014. It is based on the life of legendary singer and songwriter James Brown, portrayed on screen by Boseman.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs auditioned for James Brown in Get On Up
The “Last Night” rapper reportedly auditioned for the role of James Brown in his biopic, Get On Up. However, he lost the role to the late Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman.
According to a report by Variety, the revelation was made during the cross-examination of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ former assistant. She went by the pseudonym Mia for the trial. Their chats were disclosed during the rapper’s trial, in which she appeared to state that he had auditioned to play Brown.
In one message from August 2020, Mia mentioned, “Thinking of you with Chadwick Boseman,” following the actor’s demise. In some text messages, she also claimed to possess Diddy’s audition tape for the role of James Brown in the film. Mia further described that it was in production for a week. Additionally, one of the text messages recounted the moment when Mick Jagger, one of the producers of Get On Up, reportedly flirted with her.
Directed by Tate Taylor, Get On Up was critically acclaimed. It went on to receive a strong score of 80 percent on Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes. Furthermore, it scored 68 percent on the popcornmeter on the review-aggregator website.
Additionally, Chadwick Boseman received immense praise from critics and fans for his portrayal of the funk music legend. When speaking about what he learned about Brown while portraying him on screen, he told Elwood Blues that Brown “was a master in some ways, just a master conductor and manipulator.” Boseman also praised Brown’s dancing style.
