With 'Get On Up', rising-star actor Chadwick Boseman takes on his second American icon, the Godfather of Soul, James Brown. This follows his break-out role as baseball legend Jackie Robinson in last year's '42'.

Chadwick Boseman at Fig & Olive Melrose Place Golden Globe Los Angeles California United States, Friday 21st November 2014
Chadwick Boseman is set to appear in 2016's 'Captain America: Civil War' as Black Panther

"It actually might be harder to play baseball than sing and dance like James Brown," he says. "As Jackie Robinson I had to play baseball like a professional. But Get On Up was technically complicated. I'm not a dancer, so it was new to me."

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The 37-year-old plays Brown from his teens into his 60s. When he first saw the script, he almost didn't bother to go for it. "I just didn't think there was any point in trying," Boseman says. "He's too big an icon. And I'd just played another one in '42'. But when something clicks, it makes you want to keep doing it." Indeed, Boseman caught the acting bug at university when he tried performing for the fun of it.

More: Chadwick Boseman Was Hesitant About Starring In The James Brown Biopic "Get On Up"

Never mind talk of an Oscar nomination for 'Get On Up', Boseman's next project looks like it will propel him into the A-list. He has landed the covered role of Marvel's 'Black Panther' in both the next 'Captain America' and in his own stand-alone movie. 

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After years paying his dues by appearing in just about every TV series imaginable, his time has definitely come. And he won't stop at acting; he also has plans to write and direct, so he's still just getting started.