- There's an attempted prison escape in this film
that conveniently requires you to take off your shirt
as part of the prison escape. [Laughs]
- Conveniently.
[Laughs]
- What kind of machinations were there in the writers' room?
Like, "Wait, I have it.
"This is why I've got to take off my shirt."
And was there consideration that John maybe never
needed to wear a shirt
this entire film? You could have gone that route.
- To be fair, to be fair:
We wanted to flood the cell,
but there was nothing to flood the cell with.
[Laughs]
So, it was creative problem solving in the moment.
So, yes, that's what happened and, you know -
- Everybody wins.
Everybody wins. - Everybody wins, everybody wins.
[Laughs]
- Congrats on the new movie, man.
I knew from our experience
I never wanted to cross you,
but I officially now know, having seen this guy.
This is the guy that not only sets fire to the car,
but he gets in the car.
So, now I know what kind of psychopath I'm working with.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
John ain't got it all, he
a little off on this one, but rightfully so.
It's a role that, you know,
I've always dreamed of playing, you know?
It's the movie that I watched as a kid growing up, you know,
being like, you know, "I want to do that one day," you know?
Especially from, you know, playing Tom Clancy's, you know
universe - 'Rainbow Six' video game growing up.
So, when this project kind of came around, you know,
it had all the bones of a cool origin story, you know?
To be able to, kind of, give it a fresh take
and make it a little more modern
and represent the world that we live in today,
it was something that I had to jump at.
- You've made a point out of, you know, carving
out a space for roles that sometimes aren't defined
by the color of their skin or the character's skin.
Right?
And, like, this character traditionally has been a white guy.
I'm curious, like, how do you think this story changes, given
that you're playing this role in 2021?
- You know, I think the stakes of the character,
the situations that he's in has to be a
little bit more mindful.
You know, there's a moment when he gets
into the car, you know, the burning car, and he gets
out of the car with his hands up, and there's cops around.
I mean, that's a loaded situation, you know?
And while we're on that day, we're shooting that day,
you know, it's a conversation that I'm having
with the director, with the producers, like,
"Listen, we gotta make this make sense because in today's day,
"if he gets out of that car,
"he's probably getting shot, you know, regardless." - Yeah, yeah.
- So just, we can just leave it at that.
So, you see, when he gets out of the car,
he's like, "Don't shoot, don't shoot. I'm military."
You know what I'm saying?
Immediately hands up, you know?
He's trying to be as submissive as possible
because we still wanted to play the element that
it was a possibility that he could have got shot, you know?
And I think that at its core, you know, in
in situations like that throughout the film, you know,
it doesn't have to be beaten over the head,
it doesn't have to try to be as subtle as possible.
But, you know, that's
I guess one of the ones, I guess that immediately
stands out when it comes to that question.
- You talk about Tom Clancy's world.
You know, I grew up with the Tom Clancy movies
and the books. Does this movie happen
if you're not a gamer? I know you grew up an anime fan,
a comic-book fan, a gamer.
Does this movie happen if you're not playing
'Rainbow Six' as a kid?
- Ooh.
Maybe not?
But, maybe it still does because, I mean,
I want to say that I'll still probably be a gamer
and I'll probably still love action movies.
- Right. - And the kid in me would want to, you know,
live out my childhood, like, fantasies
of being able to do my own stunts, you know?
Like, watching 'Blade' and, you know, all the Tom Cruise movies,
the Jason Bournes and, you know,
the Michael Jai Whites in 'Spawn,' and Jackie Chan
and Jet Li and all these guys that I watched growing up.
It was like, "Man, OK, I want to do that one day."
- It's your turn, yeah.
- This was the first one for me.
- This is the first time I've talked
to you since being named the Sexiest Man Alive.
And I can tell, even over Zoom, you're sexier than ever.
Congratulations.
- Aw, see, stop it.
Keep going.
What'd you say?
- I was talking to our mutual buddy, Tessa Thompson, recently
and she was relishing the idea of giving you crap
once she gets on the set of 'Creed III.'
- Yeah.
- Who among your friends kind of hit you up
and kind of razzed you?
Was it, you know, did Jamie Foxx and Miles Teller?
Did everybody come out of the woodwork?
- I mean, who didn't?
I mean, it's one of those things that it's a gift
and a curse. As soon as you get it,
it's good for, like, that moment.
You know, when your mom calls you, or one of your aunts,
and everybody's like, "Oh my god, baby.
"I'm so proud of you.
undefined
And then you get the group chats and the text messages
from everyone else,
and everybody becomes a comedian at that point, you know?
[Laughs] So, it's really one big roast for the entire year.
So, that's what I've been living with lately.
And I'm pretty sure Tessa's saved all the good stuff
for when I'm going to direct her in 'Creed III.'
So, I'll make sure to have her at 4 a.m. call times
for the first couple weeks.
[Laughs]
So, we'll work it out.
- For as long as you've been acting, especially
in the last few years, you know, you've been, you know,
you've been touted as like, you know,
"You're the next Denzel.
"You're the next Tom Cruise," et cetera.
You've been working
with Denzel lately, the last few months.
Talk to me about what it's like to work one-on-one
with this guy that's been so influential to you
and so many actors. What are you getting
out of the experience of going toe-to-toe with Denzel?
- I mean, honestly, it's a dream come true.
It's one of those things where, you know, he's so prepared,
it's a masterclass
of, like, character development, preparation, and approach.
You know, people love D for the roles that he plays,
but they have no idea
about the process that he goes through every day.
You know, I think they will fall
in love with him even more if they knew, like, you know,
like, how dedicated he is to the craft.
And, you know, as somebody who grew
up watching his movies and is inspired
by him, to be able to get that mentorship, you know,
and those lessons and all those little gems,
those Denzel-isms, you know, are priceless
and things that I'll take
with me for the rest of my, you know,
my career and my life in general, man.
He's, you know, he's a great guy.
So, especially, you know, now
that I'm moving on to directing next, he would, you know
be extra gracious with information, you know,
tell me things to look out for.
"Think about this when you're in prep.
"Think about that when you're in prep. You know,
"maybe you ever, you ever thought
"about doing it like this?" Recommend people.
It was, yeah, it's been, it's been a great,
it's been a great time.
And I think the movie that we shot is really good, also.
- Nice.
- I think we got something special on that one, too.
- It's been a traumatic year for
for all of us in different ways.
And, on a personal note for you, you knew him much more
than I did, but we all were connected with Chadwick
and, you know, my condolences to you, man.
It's still shocking that we lost him.
I know, for me, watching 'Ma Rainey'
and 'Black Panther' again in recent months,
and 'Da 5 Bloods' has been a different experience.
Have you watched those movies?
Have you watched 'Black Panther' again?
Have you watched those and what's it been
like to watch your friend in those?
- I haven't watched 'Black Panther' again.
I mean, mainly, probably - If I wasn't in it,
maybe I would be able to watch it, you know?
- Yeah.
- I've watched 'Infinity War'
and 'Endgame,' you know, a couple times, actually, since then.
That was good.
But, more or less, 'Ma Rainey,' watching that project,
knowing that it was the last time
we'd get a chance to see him play a role, is emotional.
You know, he did such an incredible job.
You see him giving everything.
It just, it hits so much harder,
you know, it feels so much more powerful,
and it means so much.
So, you know, I know he's been getting a lot
of acknowledgement, you know, for that, you know,
and Oscar or no Oscar, you know,
I feel like, you know, he won, you know?
Because his legacy that he left behind and, you know,
the lives that he touched, his family, his wife,
and just being lucky enough to have worked
with him and lucky enough to share that space,
to have known him, it inspires me.
- No, no, I mean, yeah,
the way he carried on in quiet dignity, no one really
knowing what was up. - Yeah.
It's just remarkable to look back on.
- Yeah.
- It's crazy.
I mean, I know there's no collaborator that's more
important to you than [Ryan Coogler],
who's meant so much to your career. In anyone else's hands,
maybe the idea of another 'Black Panther' might
feel a little dodgy, but I assume you trust in his vision
that he knows how to honor Chadwick's legacy,
and how to push this franchise forward,
and, kind of, honor the man, honor that world?
- If anybody's going to figure it out,
it's Ryan Coogler, Kevin Feige, you know, Nate Moore, Brad -
everybody over there at Marvel, they'll figure it out.
It's new territory to navigate.
So, I have full confidence that they're going to
find the right balance, you know, on
how to move forward, and honor and respect Chadwick.
- What's Ryan saying to you
as you approach your first directing effort?
He's gotta be a shoulder you're leaning on as
you get on that set.
- Yeah, man.
I mean, look, you know, lucky enough for me, he's
you know, he's - I got him as a producer on that, you know?
So, just, you know, preparation. Prep, prep, prep, prep, prep.
- You can't over-prepare. Yeah, yeah.
- You can't over-prepare. He said,
"Trust your instincts."
You know, I think trusting my instincts is
something that he reinforces and yeah, man,
I mean, everybody has, you know, full confidence in me,
from what they say. Or they could just be completely lying and, you know,
not wanting to break the news to me,
but one way or another we're going to find out.
So, we'll figure that out real soon.
- You'll get there. And you're excited for the journey
Adonis is going to go on?
- I'm really excited, man.
It's become more personal to me, the more I develop it.
The themes are starting to reveal itself in a real way.
I have incredible actors that are attached,
along with our cast of familiar faces that
that we're used to seeing.
I think we've got something special.
You know, I think we've got something special.
I know everybody says that
about their baby and their project, but, you know,
just carrying on that legacy, moving forward, you know,
I think it's going to be something that a lot
of people can connect with.
- Yeah. I know you wouldn't take this on lightly.
It's a big deal to make the jump behind the camera,
you don't want to screw it
up, so I know you're gonna, you're gonna -
- Oh, I'm not going to be the one to screw it up.
It ain't gonna be me. [Laughs]
No, no, no. They're going to be looking at me like, "Oh, that was Mike's movie,
"that's right.
"When he tried to do that whole directing thing."
As best as I can,
I'm not going to be that guy.
- For about a decade,
we've been having these kinds of interviews where you duck
and dodge a portion of my questions.
So, here's where we do it.
- So, this is - We're going to jump right into it?
- We're gonna do it.
- OK, let's do it.
So, I think I mentioned this in years past,
I mean, there's been talk about you as Superman, obviously.
Ta-Nehisi Coates is now officially on board to write -
There he goes.
[Laughs]
Mike, Mike, your chair.
- What's up, what's up, what's up.
Very un-Superman behavior,
Superman would never slouch in his seat.
Do you know Ta-Nehisi Coates?
Have you talked to him about 'Superman?'
- Yeah, you know, he was responsible for the reboot
of 'Black Panther.'
- Of course. You're right. Yeah, of course. - He's one of the folks that
Ryan worked closely to adapt,
and he's an incredible writer and yeah, I know him for sure.
You know, I'm flattered to be a part
of all these conversations, you know,
and rumors and you are - you know better than anyone else,
like, how many things I've been rumored to play.
You know what I'm saying?
- I know.
- It's a lot, so there's
but so much time in the day, in days throughout the year.
It's just flattering to know that people still, you know, think of me
in that type of way, to be able to play these characters
and want me to, to some degree.
So, I'll just leave it at that, I guess?
- How about just from a fan perspective?
The iconography - - I love the hands up, "Just from a fan's perspective."
[Laughs]
- OK.
- No, but in all seriousness, the power of the image
of a Black Superman is going to be remarkable. - Yeah.
- Whether it's you or somebody else, that's undeniable.
I mean, that's, that's an interesting and cool place to be
in our culture
and it's going to be a moment,
whether it's you or someone else.
- No, I mean, I think from that perspective, yeah
it is, you know, it's cool to
see a powerful Black man in a heroic character and be larger
than life and being super, you know, I think it's symbolic
on a lot of different levels, you know?
So, in that regard, yeah, that would be
that would be pretty cool.
- You're pretty private, generally speaking,
and I'm not one to pry on the personal life, but
on Instagram, you've been a little bit more open lately.
You've been kind of, like, open about your relationship.
Has that been a big kind of, like, adjustment? Like, 'cause
that's a choice, you don't have to do that.
Can you give me a sense of just, sort of, why you're, kind of,
opening yourself up a little bit, why now is the time
to do that?
- I have been, you know,
extremely private and I am still, you know, very private.
I think there was a part
of me that wanted to stop the speculation
you know, of everybody, you know, prying
to get to know
and trying to find out this and that.
And it was just like, "Look, this is what it is.
undefined
You know, I'm at a point
in my life where I'm a grown-ass man, you know -
[Laughs]
And I'm living my life, you know, and
I'm enjoying it, you know?
I appreciate who I'm with and I'm happy,
you know what I'm saying?
So it's, and I think this, you know, this pandemic
you know, and I think the, you know,
the loss of,
you know, of life
and people and time, you start to prioritize, you know,
and then you figure out what's important
and you gotta live your life, man.
And you got to enjoy yourself, you know?
So, that's kinda what I'm doing and I'm still private.
I'm still very, you know what I'm saying there -
- Yeah.
- But, wanted to just, you know, put that out there, sort of put
everybody at rest and let people know kind of what it is,
and then move on.
- You've come a long way,
even in the years
I've known you, let alone since you've started acting.
Do you ever think back to the early days,
like the first time you were recognized
on the street to where you are now as, like, you know,
you're in rarefied territory to say the least. Do you think
about how far you've come
and does that give you some perspective?
- I think my close friends, you know, sometimes, you know,
bring it up, or some
of my team that's been with me for a really long time.
You know, we might be in a situation that, you know,
I still kind of, you know, look like,
undefined
And then people are like, "Yeah, duh."
And I'd be like, "Huh? What?"
[Laughs]
- So, sometimes I'm late to the party, as
far as, like, catching up to,
I guess, the perception of me in certain
areas. You know me, I'm a do-the-work guy,
you know,
and keep pushing.
But, I am extremely blessed and fortunate to be able to,
you know, to be somebody that people do look up to.
And hopefully, I am inspiring, you know, future generations
across the board to do great things for themselves
and to challenge themselves and to push themselves forward.
But yeah, you know, been doing this 20 years,
so it's a blessing to be able to still do what I do and
and do it at the top of my game.