Chadwick Boseman and Michael B. Jordan explore the lessons learned in “Black Panther”

Marvel Studios(NEW YORK) — Chadwick Boseman and Michael B. Jordan channel their inner warriors in Marvel’s Black Panther, which hits theaters in sneak previews tonight.

Boseman, who plays the film’s titular character says he and his character, King T’Challa, ended up learning a lot from each other during filming.

“You know, I’m learning from him and he’s learning from me. That’s the best way to say it,” he tells ABC Radio. “I haven’t been a king before. So you know that’s something that I have to learn from the character. But right now I would say it’s 100 percent both ways.”

Jordan, who plays Erik “Killmonger” Stevens, says his character illuminates some of the movie’s deeper themes of identity across the African diaspora.

“He’s from Oakland,” Jordan explains, not the fictional African nation of Wakanda. “He’s from the U.S. and there’s a lot of themes and there’s a huge conversation that happens figuratively and literally throughout throughout the film about numerous different things of identity and heritage and culture.”

Jordan says the cast’s cultural backgrounds and the whole team’s decision to immerse themselves in African cultural themes, shaped the movie’s depiction of Wakanda. 

“A lot of the cast they are descendants straight from.. Africa — Kenya and Zimbabwe, Lupita [Nyong’o] and Danai [Gurira]– and Daniel [Kaluuya] as well. So for them, being able to explore their culture and their heritage and really bring that to the forefront of Wakanda was amazing.”

Jordan continues, “And all the department heads and everybody on the crew, they really did their due diligence, they travel, they got a chance to really absorb that culture and put it into the film and really bring Wakanda to life.” 

Black Panther opens nationwide February 16 from Marvel Studios and Disney, parent company of ABC News.

Copyright © 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.

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