Michael Jordan Insisted RI’s Viola Davis Play His Mother in New Movie
Tuesday, March 21, 2023
Rhode Island’s Viola Davis counts among her accolades earning Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards, making her an “EGOT” and it is an exclusive club.
Now, she can count one of sports’ all-time greatest athletes as choosing her — personally — to play his mother in the new film, “Air: Courting a Legend.”
“Michael Jordan is, for those of you who don’t know, the most intimidating, impressive man you’ll ever see in real life,” Ben Affleck said at the movie’s world premiere at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, this past week, according to Sports Illustrated.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST“He talked about his mother…he just said, ‘None of this would have ever happened without my mother doing everything.’
Sports Illustrated reports of the conversation:
“I said, ‘Who would you like to play your mom?’ And he said, ‘It has to be Viola Davis,’” Affleck continued.
Naturally, Jordan got his wish. Davis portrays his mother, Deloris Jordan, in the movie, and Affleck had nothing but reverence for the legendary performer.
“I always felt that if I was a director one day, and I had Viola Davis in a movie, that would really be something. That would mean the world to me,” Affleck said. “And I gotta say, it really does. This is the best night of my professional life, and I wanna welcome the best actor in the world: Viola.”
And of playing the role, this is what Davis told The Hollywood Reporter:
"Mothers are the most important figures in anybody’s life, so I was very flattered and deeply moved to be asked to play Michael’s mother.
I know Michael Jordan but didn’t know that Deloris brokered this deal to get him a huge stake in the shoe and in turn, protected her son’s legacy. I wanted to know more about this woman who had the strength and courage to fight for her son’s worth. For Deloris to have this insight and progressive vision, to stand her ground in the negotiation room – which I know can be the hardest part of the job – makes her an incredible woman. That made me lean into this project."
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