Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Look, making superhero movies is hard. You gotta get up at the break of dawn and stand around under hot lights while pretending to do ridiculous stuff for hours on end, all while eating weird food and hitting weights in order to stay swole. One of the director’s jobs, then, is to ensure their stars remain hyped-up and ready to do more ridiculous pretending. When a director also happens to be a boxing fan, they may employ unorthodox reinvigoration techniques. Welcome to the case of Black Panther director Ryan Coogler and his movie’s star, Chadwick Boseman.

Just after appearing at Marvel Studios’ Saturday-night Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con, Vulture caught up with Boseman and asked about a time Coogler inspired him with his approach to directing. “Every day,” Boseman replied. “He’ll come to your trailer and grab you. He’s very hands-on. He likes to be physical and be part of it. In some fight scenes, if he feels like he needs your energy to get up, he’ll get in there to spar with you before you start. We throwin’ punches and kicks at each other.”

When asked the obvious next question — who would win? — Boseman laughed with the confidence of a man well-versed in brawling, make-believe or otherwise. “We’re not gonna talk about what happened,” he said. “That’s between us.”