Actor Michael B. Jordan has had a phenomenal year so far especially with the huge success of “Black Panther”, but at one point in his career, the actor chose to seek after roles written strictly for white men.
During an interview with “Insecure’s Issa Rae on Variety’s television show ‘Actors On Actors’, Jordan opened up about having his agents change their strategy on the roles sent to him.
“[I told my agents] I don’t want to go out for any role that’s written for African Americans in the breakdown,” Jordan told the web series creator who nodded in agreement. “I want to only go for, like, [roles scripted for] white males. That’s it. Me playing that role is going to make it what it is. I don’t want any pre-bias on the character.”
Jordan said that sometimes writers “write what they know, what their encounters of us would be. And that’s a slight bias.”
The actor also explained why the 2012 film “Chronicle” was such a big role for him to play because it was originally written for a white teenager with an Eastern European last name, but Jordan ended up landing the lead role. He played a Black teen who realized his telekinetic powers. Jordan also received another role written for a white man which he acted as superhero Johnny Storm in the 2015 the “Fantastic Four.”
Rae told Jordan she too started to expand the diversity of the roles she accepts and gives credit to “Black Panther” being the reason for her approach.
“Even just the confidence that a movie like [Black Panther] and other films by other filmmakers of color that have come out have really just changed what people perceive as leading lady, as the beautiful person, the daring or the bold action adventure type… That just feels so dope to me,” the “Insecure” star said.
