- 20 hours ago
Michael B. Jordan talks new movie with Charli and Cori of Yes Girl podcast.
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00:00Corey, who's here?
00:01Hi, Michael B. Jordan.
00:03How you doing?
00:04Sure is dope.
00:05You still like it?
00:07We did not do this on purpose.
00:08I just peaked that.
00:09Okay.
00:10You know y'all did it on purpose.
00:11No.
00:11We didn't do it on purpose.
00:12We are.
00:13We just happened.
00:15Okay.
00:16Thank you for having me.
00:16You kind of made me emotional last night.
00:19I saw the film, Just Mercy.
00:21You dig it?
00:22I dig it.
00:22Okay.
00:23And I saw True Justice, his life story.
00:27So I kind of felt cheated going in because I was like, okay,
00:29I know how this is going to end, but then your performance was riveting.
00:37All right.
00:37So here's my question.
00:38What's up talking?
00:39So my, I mean, I saw you in Fahrenheit,
00:41but my last big movie I saw you in was Black Panther and you played a
00:45character who took up space.
00:46You were like, wow, I'm here.
00:47I'm Eric Klubonger.
00:48But fast forward to Bryan Stevenson.
00:51Yeah.
00:51You have to play this quiet respect, restraint, restraint, you know what I
00:57mean?
00:57Blatant racism thrown in your face,
00:59like to help get these men convicted.
01:03Tell me,
01:04what did you tap into to play somebody like that?
01:08I think it was honestly after meeting Bryan and spending a lot of time with
01:11him.
01:12And once I kind of got a chance to get to know him and understand his
01:17mentality and his strategy behind it all,
01:19it started to click and make sense.
01:21And tell us a little bit about Bryan Stevenson for those who don't know.
01:25Bryan Stevenson is a defense attorney who started this organization called
01:29EJI, the Equal Justice Initiative.
01:31And he represents wrongfully accused and unfair sentence,
01:37you know, men and women who are on death row.
01:41And yeah, he helps get them exonerated.
01:44So over 30 years,
01:46over 30 years is crazy.
01:47In Alabama, right?
01:48In the deep South.
01:49That's serious business.
01:50It is.
01:52And being in the South,
01:53he's, you know,
01:53like I said,
01:54encountered so much racism,
01:55so much president,
01:56presidents and just things that are strictly illegal.
02:02Yelling and being emotional and reacting wouldn't get anything done.
02:06You know,
02:06you have to be extremely persuasive to get people who look at you with a
02:10certain bias to,
02:11to,
02:11to give you what you need,
02:13to give you what you want.
02:14So his approach was always whatever is best for the client.
02:18You know,
02:18I'm going to put my ego and pride to the side.
02:20I'm going to be illegally,
02:21illegally strip searched.
02:23I'm going to do that.
02:24I'm going to face that humility.
02:25I'm going to face that anger.
02:26I'm going to put that to the side because if I'm not here for my client,
02:29my client is the one who suffers.
02:30I'm the one who gets a chance to go back home,
02:33you know,
02:33with my freedom.
02:33So,
02:34you know,
02:35learning about Brian and his approach to certain things really made me
02:39understand.
02:40And,
02:40uh,
02:40it was definitely a challenge,
02:41you know,
02:42um,
02:42as an actor to find myself in scenes where naturally I wanted to kind of go
02:46make choices that,
02:47um,
02:48that I personally felt.
02:49And I was like,
02:49wait,
02:49this,
02:50this is not even about me.
02:51I have to sacrifice that part of it to make sure we're telling the accurate
02:55depiction of,
02:55uh,
02:56who Brian Stevenson is and what he actually stands for.
02:59Yeah.
02:59That part where the,
03:00you're going for the strip search and well,
03:02you didn't know it was going to be a strip search,
03:04but you're going in thinking,
03:05I'm just going to see my client in the way.
03:06The dude is like,
03:07not until it's all right.
03:08Yeah.
03:08Spoiler alert.
03:09Sorry.
03:09Yeah.
03:09But you know,
03:10but I just,
03:12Ooh,
03:12I wanted to just jump in the screen and like,
03:15and we want people to feel that,
03:16you know,
03:16you want people to feel and understand what it's like looking,
03:19you know,
03:19when you're black and Brown and walking into these institutions and the things
03:22that we actually go,
03:23you know,
03:24we go through,
03:25um,
03:25the perception of us being presumed guilty just because the way,
03:29the way we look,
03:30you know?
03:30Yeah.
03:31Uh,
03:31another scene,
03:32I mean the whole movie,
03:33every part,
03:34but one scene I thought about when you get pulled over,
03:37you know,
03:38you've come up with a hard day of doing this work,
03:39I'm curious,
03:40have you had something like that happen in your,
03:42your real life?
03:43Like sort of things.
03:44And how did you respond?
03:46And yeah,
03:47people,
03:47you know,
03:47they assume that once you get to a certain level of success or fame or
03:50whatever,
03:50all of a sudden you're just,
03:51you know,
03:51exempt from,
03:52you know,
03:53from the skin that you walk around.
03:55Meanwhile,
03:55you're still black.
03:56Yeah.
03:56You know what I'm saying?
03:57That's,
03:57that's,
03:57that's not changing anything.
03:59So,
03:59you know,
03:59I've definitely had,
04:00uh,
04:01you know,
04:01my encounters of,
04:02um,
04:03you know,
04:05police and,
04:06um,
04:06I have a lot of police friends,
04:07you know what I'm saying?
04:08And,
04:08um,
04:09and,
04:09and,
04:10and,
04:10and,
04:10you know,
04:12there's a,
04:12there's a certain bias that's there.
04:15The perception of when you're black and brown,
04:17that you're guilty is that you,
04:18you're something,
04:19it's bad.
04:20Something that's,
04:20you've done something wrong,
04:21especially when you see so many cases,
04:23incidences out in the street,
04:25you know,
04:25on social media and everywhere where,
04:27you know,
04:27don't black people get pulled over for a regular traffic stop and they lose
04:30their lives.
04:30And you see people that aren't black get pulled over and they
04:33apprehended,
04:33you know,
04:34and there's a certain,
04:34they treat it totally differently.
04:36But I think we know,
04:38you know,
04:38um,
04:39growing up that there's a certain rules that we have to live by that are
04:43different than other people.
04:44You know,
04:44when we walk around in the world,
04:45there's a certain anxiety that we feel just because of the way we look and
04:49the color of our skin.
04:50So,
04:50um,
04:51you know,
04:51that's just,
04:52that's just what it is.
04:54Now you produce the film.
04:56We can see you building your Hollywood legacy brick by brick.
05:00Like we see the work you've put in from as a child all the way until today.
05:06What's the next layer for you?
05:09It's a great question.
05:10I'm not fully sure what that is.
05:13You know,
05:13I,
05:14you know,
05:14I want to continue.
05:15Like I love acting,
05:16you know,
05:17I want to continue to,
05:18uh,
05:18to make,
05:18you know,
05:19big movies.
05:20I want to continue to tell stories like,
05:22you know,
05:22just mercy,
05:23um,
05:24that are extremely important.
05:26you know,
05:26my production company is in this third year,
05:28so I'm,
05:28I'm continuing to grow that and create opportunities and tell stories.
05:32Thank you so much.
05:33It's huge.
05:34Um,
05:34shout out to Alana Mayo.
05:35Alana is the boss.
05:37Shout out boss.
05:39Uh,
05:40and,
05:41um,
05:41you know,
05:42I'm directing is,
05:44is in the pipeline.
05:45You know,
05:45I'm starting,
05:45you know,
05:46I'm 32 turning 33.
05:47Uh,
05:48I'm starting to,
05:49you know,
05:50develop my palate,
05:51starting to develop and wanting to,
05:53to direct things.
05:54So I think that's probably,
05:55you know,
05:56a next,
05:56a next step,
05:57you know,
05:58sooner or later,
05:59but I'm not really sure,
06:01you know,
06:01I'm just trying to walk my path and continue to,
06:04you know,
06:04grow.
06:05Um,
06:06yeah.
06:07And being,
06:08um,
06:09producing this just mercy,
06:11starring in it,
06:13where were days you had to turn off,
06:14turn on?
06:16Yes.
06:16Um,
06:18there is a,
06:19you know,
06:19a hat switch that you definitely have to do.
06:21And I'm,
06:22I,
06:23I'm aware,
06:24you know,
06:24I know I'll tell people,
06:25look,
06:25this is a,
06:25this is an actor note.
06:27This is me talking.
06:28And then it's like,
06:29preface it.
06:30Yeah.
06:30Okay.
06:30This is a producer note.
06:311000%.
06:32So,
06:33um,
06:33I think I do a good job of removing myself when I have to,
06:35and I could speak objectively for,
06:37you know,
06:37what needs to happen and what's,
06:39and what I'm speaking to.
06:40So,
06:41um,
06:41it's definitely a balance.
06:43Um,
06:44I think,
06:45yeah,
06:45they might be tougher when I'm like directing and starring and something.
06:47That must be really,
06:48that might be tough.
06:49Uh,
06:50but I think the producing and,
06:52and,
06:52and acting is something is,
06:53um,
06:54it's a balance that I can handle.
06:55So I have another tough one for you,
06:56but I've been really thinking about this,
06:58you know,
06:58Jersey girl,
06:59been watching your career for some time.
07:00I feel like we're family in my head.
07:02Um,
07:03I'm sorry.
07:04It's a Jersey thing.
07:05You knew,
07:05I was going to find a way to slide that.
07:07Yes.
07:07When do you feel like,
07:10what's that moment you became a man in Hollywood?
07:13And I,
07:14I mean that because like,
07:15when you felt like you were seen as a man and as director,
07:18producer talent,
07:19you've been doing this forever,
07:20right?
07:21We know that you've been working at it,
07:22but it's hard starting out young and then kind of entering into this stratosphere of like blockbuster,
07:28a list.
07:29We know you've made it on screen,
07:31but when did you feel like behind the scenes?
07:34Yeah,
07:34that's tough.
07:35You came of age.
07:36That's just another great question.
07:37Um,
07:37I think,
07:38uh,
07:39the transition between the,
07:41you know,
07:43I guess I,
07:44I was a child actor,
07:45I guess,
07:46you know,
07:46I'm looking back at it because I didn't really consider myself that,
07:50but I guess looking back at it,
07:51I was.
07:52And when did I feel like,
07:54uh,
07:54you know,
07:55like you kind of were like,
07:56okay,
07:56this is maybe,
07:57maybe,
07:58maybe like right after black Panther.
08:01Maybe,
08:02maybe like around that time,
08:03Cree to reason.
08:05It's not like,
08:05it's not long ago,
08:07maybe Cree to black Panther,
08:08something somewhere in there.
08:09Um,
08:10you know,
08:11like I said,
08:12other people from the outside can tell you all you want,
08:13that you're this year that,
08:14but until you,
08:16you know,
08:16you kind of have that self full self confidence and comfortable in your own skin.
08:21And,
08:21um,
08:22you know,
08:22it's tough.
08:23So yeah,
08:23like recent,
08:24I think around black Panther,
08:25maybe.
08:26When did the seeds get planted for you to become a producer?
08:28I think it's always been there.
08:31I think I've been producing a lot without officially producing.
08:35I think,
08:36um,
08:37maybe around Friday night lights.
08:38Okay.
08:39You know,
08:40I think great role.
08:41Great.
08:42That was,
08:42woof.
08:43I remember.
08:44I had,
08:45I've been fortunate enough to be around great shows,
08:48great cast and great producers,
08:51um,
08:51who weren't precious with information.
08:56So,
08:56you know,
08:57Peter Berg told me,
08:58you know,
08:59you know,
08:59early twenties,
09:00I guess was like,
09:01you know,
09:01there's going to come a time where you're going to tired of waiting for the,
09:03your phone to ring.
09:04You're going to,
09:04you're going to get tired of waiting for incoming phone calls.
09:07Yeah.
09:07And you should start writing and start creating your own things and start,
09:10you know,
09:10taking control of your,
09:12your,
09:12your,
09:12your creative destiny.
09:14And I,
09:14that stuck with me.
09:15So,
09:16you know,
09:16that summer I started writing a show with one of my close friends and,
09:19uh,
09:19we sat in a room and house all summer and just cracked the show.
09:24And,
09:24um,
09:24and you know,
09:25the show never made it,
09:26you know,
09:26anywhere,
09:27but that practice,
09:28that process of going through it really gave me the fundamentals and of the,
09:33of the,
09:33of what it takes to make a show.
09:35And then it just started to grow and,
09:37you know,
09:37and figuring out how to navigate the game,
09:41you know,
09:41and,
09:41uh,
09:42getting advice from Jamie Fox and,
09:43you know,
09:43Denzel's and people from,
09:45you know,
09:45that generation who,
09:46who also weren't precious with information and helping,
09:49you know,
09:50grow to who I am,
09:50which is pretty cool.
09:52All right.
09:52Well,
09:53we are so proud.
09:55Thank you for this film.
09:57Oh my God.
09:58Congratulations.
09:59It's great.
09:59Give her chills.
10:00I know.
10:01What did Brian,
10:02did Brian have anything to say when he,
10:03has he seen it?
10:04Uh,
10:04Brian was really,
10:05uh,
10:05he was moved.
10:06Brian was,
10:07and honestly,
10:08his opinion is the one that really matters to me.
10:10Um,
10:11and he,
10:11uh,
10:11gave me a big hug and it was just like,
10:13he was like,
10:14he was really proud of me.
10:14And,
10:15uh,
10:15that,
10:15that means a lot coming from him because he's such an important person.
10:19And,
10:19um,
10:20I think he's really beating the jump,
10:21the drum of justice and he's going to continue to do so.
10:25Um,
10:25as long as he's here.
10:26So let's,
10:26uh,
10:26try to give him some port and see the movie and,
10:28you know,
10:29try to get out there and get this message out there.
10:31Cause I think it's really important.
10:32Yeah.
10:32Yeah.
10:32Yeah.
10:32Yeah.
10:33Yeah.
10:33Yeah.
10:33Yeah.
10:33Yeah.
10:34Yeah.
10:34Yeah.
10:34Yeah.
10:34Yeah.
10:34Yeah.
10:34Yeah.
10:34Yeah.
10:34Yeah.
10:34Yeah.
10:35Yeah.
10:35Yeah.
10:36Yeah.
10:36Yeah.
10:36Yeah.
10:36Yeah.
10:36Yeah.
10:37Yeah.
10:37Yeah.
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