I guess in the beginning it wasn't
planned it was something that I was just
taking it step by step one foot in front
of the other
from small success to small success you
know you look up and you have a decision
to make go to college move to LA you
know and kind of pursue this dream hi my
name is Michael B Jordan and this is a
timeline of my career so my first IMDB
credit was The Sopranos in 1999 was
about 12 years old and I was just you
know one of the extras one of the
background kids that got might of snuck
in a couple lines I was definitely under
five player at that time and I was a
bully I was bullying Tony during one of
his therapy sessions it was a flashback
he's just like kind of talking about his
childhood I guess how he used to get
bullied on the boardwalk and I was one
of those bullies and at that point I
think the most exciting thing about
being on set the fact that I was not in
school I think it was one of the first
times that I got a chance to skip school
to go to the city and work at that time
The Sopranos I mean we didn't know that
it was gonna be you know as epic of a
show as it is today the wire for me was
it was a very pivotal moment in my
career first time I auditioned for Alexa
Fogle went in for Bodhi at first I read
for him and I was too young so they
brought me back the next day for for
Wallis and I end up booked in the role
again another one of those shows and I
guess characters that in its first
season we never knew it was gonna
actually be you we're actually must be
cancelled after season 1 and they got
renewed I take pride in Wallis because
you know you know being an OG of the
show you know one of the original cast
members even though I got killed off
towards the end of the season it seemed
to be a you know death on on television
that resonates with a lot of people even
today I still get to where where's
Wallace shoutouts you know as I'm
walking you know walking through the
street I think a lot of the right people
watch that show at that point in my
career you know a lot of casting
directors a lot of producers a lot of
people in powerful places that you know
I guess became fans you know at a young
age so when I did audition for the next
show or got a chance to you know take
general meetings and stuff like that it
was always a lot of love so
that went a long way one of the things
on the wire is that nobody was safe
everybody can go it's the best reference
for that is like Game of Thrones
nowadays everybody gets it gets a shot
to get killed you usually just get the
script you know you read through it you
just flip through the first time just to
make sure your name you know is that the
end of the episode and then you go back
and actually read it and for me I had
that moment where David Simon and I
comes knocks on a trailer door and you
never you never want that knock on knock
on your trailer so he knocked on my door
and basically said look Mike we love you
everybody loves you but that's exactly
why we have to kill you and Wallace has
to go and it was a it was a sad moment
for me at that point it was just like
you know me leaving my family just
looked at everybody as my big brothers
and sisters and I was like man this also
has to stop I can't I'm not gonna not
gonna work anymore but he's like it'll
be fine everybody you know you'll be
great
and then the death scene the death scene
was I was very emotional Emeril mom
being on set she was in video village
and you could just hear sobbing and
crying and stuff like that it was a
pretty distracting my just to please my
phone my pleases take her off said
please that girl said but I was it was a
good time looking back at it
[Music]
Friday Night Lights Friday Night Lights
so crazy Peterburg text me this morning
randomly I had an audition went in there
one of the things about Friday Night
Lights and Pete Berg in his system he
loves to improv you love improv and had
living and I was in audition room and it
was a scene where Vince how we're
supposed to be giving his huddle is like
halftime huddle speech to his team and
getting everybody like fired up and
stuff like that and I'm improvident I'm
talking I'm doing my thing or whatever
case maybe and Peter Burke just like
throwing like throwing things at me
saying things and just like yelling at
me trying to get me trying to get me
motivated and it's at a point where I
just like instinctually just ran at him
and just tackle them right there in the
middle of the room and I was like all
right either got the job or I'm getting
kicked out of here so you know y'all
know that way doesn't matter how many
games how many touchdowns off the road
all these C's a bunch of those scopes
everybody thinks but they never say
well Vince how is one of those
characters that leaves people talking
you know what could have happened where
did he go to school did he go to the pro
they denied it become a coach you know
like what was his future I think you
know Vince you know at the world at his
fingertips I think he really cared about
his family he obviously loves sports
very athletic you know found a father
figure and Coach Taylor made peace with
his own day who knows I would like to
think he went to you know he went to
college me personally on Michigan State
fans Hall of Famer maybe
Fruitvale station for me was I guess the
first time that I ever had a opportunity
to carry a phone I think inside I know
as actor at that age was pretty insecure
and you know not really confident and
the future was going to be this is like
my my opportunity to really like show
what I can do as a black man at the time
there was a lot of police shootings
really coming to the forefront and felt
very frustrated and angry and didn't
really have an outlet to say how I feel
I express myself and I just so happen
perfect timing Ryan Coogler was
developing the script around the
shooting of Oscar Grant in his hometown
and it was the perfect connection yeah I
needed him at that time and he needed me
whether we knew it or not I read that
script it's very emotional
I got a chance to meet him found a
kinship you know a Brotherhood you know
we connected you set out to tell that
story and became very very close and you
know the way that movie impacted you
know my career his career the lives of
you know the grant family everybody in
Oakland across the country and you know
hopefully I'd like to thank around the
world got a chance to experience a
little bit of what Oscar Grant was like
I gotta prove it prove what I'm not a
mistake for me create that's something
that me and Ryan talked about before we
shot one frame of Fruitvale station it
was something that was in his head a
long time ago remember him just asking
me lame em doing this movie about you
know Apollo Creed son do you want to
know do you want to play him I was like
yeah cool let's do it you know we
haven't shot one frame one scene in a
movie but you know I stopped
relationship me and Ryan had and during
that production Ryan was running back
and forth to you know MGM sly you know
just trying to you know make it happen
trying to you know convince convince sly
to kind of come back in a row that he
wasn't really planning on doing and yeah
that process was I was another milestone
moment for me first time I was able to
really change my body like that training
taking on an iconic role you know like
you know playing Apollo Creed son was
was really important as well I want to
say it was the first time I worked with
actor from the wire since since I left
the show always coming here deciding
survived they got a fight for life Killa
B killed people died in there your daddy
died in the ring you know you know
working another iconic franchise was a
good time no spot of course I have a lot
of great relationships and sometimes
things just come randomly from different
places one is say yep on this one I'd be
wrong but I think she hit me up and was
basically saying and she was erectness
this video for them and I was like sure
it let's do it I mean I'm one of those
guys and I get a phone call from
somebody within the you know the film
community that I'm cool it in trust it's
like we're always down to collaborate
online and be creative on certain things
and I heard her vision and a story that
she wanted to tell and I definitely
wanted to be a part of it
sooo it was incredible you know that
album did they represent India trying to
say to you on that album my favourite
very influential and I was just pretty
happy to be a part of it
I want to do you want I want the throne
Erik kill monger for me was first time
playing a villain
brian is calling me up and I am doing
this thing I think it would be a good
look you know if you did you know kind
of step out of your comfort zone and do
something different and then play a role
that people haven't had had a chance to
see play and you know so we started
talking about you know design character
design you know looks want to create
iconic hairstyle something that would be
in style you know in two years or
something that we would kind of
influence kids and you know people don't
want to kind of imitate and it was a
heavy role it was a role that I didn't
know how deep I was gonna get into it
until like I think it was over you know
you just kind of try to make decisions
that feels right in the moment you know
I didn't really have a set plan it was
just like day by day really just like
living in a moment and doing it it was
right pretty isolated I kind of stayed
away from like you know people that I
cared about and family for a long time
because that was I guess one of the main
things with Eric huge like a really
lonely person so I tried to embody that
as much as I could
afterwards it kind of stuck with me for
a minute you know there's no blueprint
there's no there's no no guidelines to
like you know no getting into character
and getting out or and what that looks
like what that feels like so she's tried
to you know find my way through I lean
on people that's you know done it before
in the past and just try to learn and
grow from it tell me everything that
happened the first time I visited death
row I wasn't expecting to meet somebody
the same age as me from a neighborhood
just like ours
this movie is extremely important and
I'm Bryan Stevenson is not a perfect
person but I said it's like but he's
damn close the guy's dedicated his life
to a cause where few people can say that
they they have no such an important
issue such an important topic you know
for this nation and now he's taken and
head-on tried to be around him as much
as possible tried to learn you know from
him try to get the essence of who he is
at first I didn't even know who he was
and I was really embarrassed I had that
so after I listened to his TED talking
really got a full scope of his work
and what he stood for it was
intimidating but at the same time I felt
responsible to kind of take this story
and share it with the world and try to
get as many people as possible to see
this film if you hear his words if you
if you know his story that doesn't move
you that doesn't you know make you think
I want to ask the right questions want
to ask questions period I think that's a
problem you know he's so such a powerful
speaker his presence is truly uh truly
incredible try to embody that you know
working with Destin and Jamie and breed
you know all the producers Gil and I
sure you know we all collectively you
know over the past couple years you're
trying to craft this story you know just
mercy is such a dense book so much in
there we wanted to just pick through few
of the most memorable cases and moments
throughout that book and and make a
movie that you know was well-rounded and
made people think that was an honest
portrayal of his journey
I know hopefully we did that I you know
I've looked back 20 years crazy to say
20 years of anything you bet on yourself
I bet on myself
he's continuous to it to work you know
and try to grow and learn from each
experience and then you had 20 years
later no production company you know I
got you know a great team around me and
projects that I'm extremely proud of
focused and this can't wait to continue
to grow and do projects that you guys
are hopefully uh know proud of to