Michael B. Jordan ‘needed to live a little bit more’ before he could make A Journal for Jordan

Michael B. Jordan waited many years before he said yes to a romantic drama. He admitted he needed to live a little more before he could.

If you look at Michael B. Jordan’s filmography, there’s a genre that tends to stand out.

With the likes of Creed, Black Panther and Without Remorse, Jordan has cemented his status as an action star with dramatic gravitas.

What he doesn’t a lot of, or at all, is romantic drama. A Journal for Jordan is new ground for the 35-year-old actor and filmmaker whose breakout role was as Oscar Grant in Fruitvale Station and who is due to make his directorial debut with Creed III.

Based on a true story, A Journal for Jordan was adapted from the 2008 memoirs of New York Times journalist Dana Canedy, which detailed the death of her fiance Charles Monroe King, a US army sergeant killed on tour in Iraq, and the journal he left behind for their then-baby son Jordan.

The film is an emotionally wrenching journey, charting the course of Dana and Charles’ relationship from their first meeting to after his death and the legacy he left behind for their son and for the world.

It’s a weepy, partly due to the strength of Jordan’s performance as romantic lead.

The actor talked to news.com.au about honouring the memory of a real man, what he learnt from King’s words and the lessons he took from director Denzel Washington, who directed the film.

A Journal for Jordan was directed by Denzel Washington. Picture: Sony

It’s not the first time you’re playing a person who is no longer alive, who is remembered through the memories of their loved ones. What is your responsibility to the family and friends Charles King left behind?

It’s a lot of responsibility to have their family legacy done right and in a way that’s honest and truthful as a film, as a story, but also to the memory that they have of this person if they’re not with us.

Did you have a lot of conversations with Dana about Charles?

I did. I had a lot of conversations with her about pretty much anything. She was an open book. Being a powerful, strong journalist, she is asked a lot of tough questions and she asked a lot of tough questions. There was nothing that was off-limits. She was available to us day and night, whenever we needed her. She was all-in.

Did you ever get to see his actual journal, the real copy?

I have. It was like a historical artefact. It was like, ‘Oh man, this is where it all started’. And then being able to see and meet Jordan, his son who is like 15 now. He’s so big and so tall from the last time I remember seeing him while we were doing research. It was a big deal to get that journal and to be able to read the original.

Michael B. Jordan stars as Charles King. (Photo by Mark RALSTON / AFP)

One of the first things that we hear in the film that Charles wrote to his son is he says that being a man means being open to being vulnerable to crying. What did you take away from Charles’ words?

He wrote so much. I took away from it a father trying to get his thoughts, his mindset, his values down, all the things that he could possibly think his son would need in life, because he was afraid that he wasn’t going to make it back from war.

That’s what I pulled from it, the power of a father’s desperation, his willpower and his intent through words. I think he succeeded and then some.

I read that your dad was a Marine. Did you draw from his experience for the role?

A little bit – stories about when he was in bootcamp and being on the military bases when I was really young. And just understanding what he did and what he went through, it’s definitely something that was on my mind as I was shooting this movie.

Has your dad seen the film? Did you talk to him about it afterwards?

The first time I saw the movie, I was with him. And he walked out, and he was choked up a bit, and he never gets emotional. So, the fact he was feeling something meant a lot. He loved it.

A Journal for Jordan is out now on digital. Picture: Sony

A Journal for Jordan is your first romantic drama. Why now?

It was the right time. For actors, one of our biggest assets is our life experience and things that we could bring to the table. For me, I needed to live a little bit more to bring to a character that’s starting a family and being in love and all these other things. It was the right time for me in my life personally that it made sense for me to professionally dive into that space.

I was looking for an intimate, smaller film that was all about character, love, and heart, and romance. And I’ve been looking for the right one. I’ve been saying no to a lot of the other ones that would come my way. I’m glad I held out for this one, because it was worth it.

Did you take anything from how Denzel works as a director for your own upcoming directorial debut on Creed III?

Definitely. Working with him, his level of preparation was insane, from character development all the way down to rehearsals. It was a masterclass. I had a chance to learn so much every day. I was extremely lucky to work with him right before my directorial debut.

A Journal for Jordan is available now for digital purchase and will be available for digital rental from May 4