Singing his praises! Bryan Stevenson thinks that Michael B. Jordan, who plays him in Just Mercy, will be a “great father” one day.
“He’s on his own timeline and I won’t speak for him, but I just know he’ll be a fantastic parent if he ever chooses to be one,” the lawyer, 60, told Us Weekly exclusively of the actor, 32, on Wednesday, January 8, at the National Board of Review Awards Gala.
The Delaware native went on to call Jordan a “great family man,” saying, “I’ve met his mom. I’ve met his dad. He just became an uncle three weeks ago and he was telling me about being a young uncle. You could just see the joy and the love he has for that. He’s a terrific, terrific human being. … He has beautiful heart. I just couldn’t be prouder of him. He’s considerate and patient, and he has a lot of the qualities that you don’t always associate with people who have his kind of celebrity and his kind of status. It’s great to see him still living a life that’s grounded and that’s rooted in a deep commitment to the people around him.”
In the December release about Stevenson’s life, the All My Children alum portrays the civil rights attorney. Jordan was “really thoughtful and contemplative” approaching the role,” the New York University professor told Us.
“He doesn’t just run around and rush into stuff,” he said. “I wanted to make sure that he and Destin [Daniel Cretton], our director, were kind of committed to doing this right because I’d rather there be no movie than a movie that didn’t actually tell the story in the right way. And when we talked, it was so reassuring because [Jordan] was not only talented, but aligned with these issues. His commitment to the issues gave me a lot of hope, and it’s been a wonderful journey ever since.”
In September, the California native explained why he started “refusing a lot of roles” where his character dies. “I never thought about what my mom went through seeing her son die so many times and how she would cry so hard and it would tear me up, and when I got older and matured and started looking at things, I was like, ‘Man, I can’t do this anymore,’” Jordan said during a press conference. “I want people to see me live. I want for me, as a character, I want to survive all three acts. I want people to watch me right into the credits.”
With reporting by Nikaline McCarley
