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Jonathan Majors On The Emotions Evoked Playing Jesse Brown in ‘Devotion’ | SWAY’S UNIVERSE
Nov 29, 2022
Jonathan Majors is the guy in Hollywood right now! He has some really big movies and shows in his rear view and is preparing for a long-standing role as Kang The Conqueror in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and playing opposite Michael B. Jordan in Creed 3.
On Nov. 23, Majors returns to the big screen as Korean War hero Jesse L. Brown in J.D. Dillard’s Devotion. Brown was the first African-American naval aviator noted for his heroics in the “Forgotten War.”
The film is said to have one of Majors’ most remarkable scenes to date, as he performs Jesse’s preflight ritual of reciting every terrible remark that’s ever been said to him. He stopped by Sway In The Morning to talk about the movie and more specifically that scene.
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Exclusive interviews from Sway Calloway and the Sway In The Morning/ SwaysUniverse.com team with some of today's biggest celebrities, like Kevin Hart, Kanye West, Eminem, Usher, Jessica Alba, Steve Aoki, Torey Lanez, Julia Stiles and so much more.
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0:00
ain't nothing like an Epic film
0:02
ain't no it's a lot of films being shot
0:04
on
0:05
cell phones this era
0:08
but ain't nothing like an Epic film DB
0:11
that tells an amazing story
0:13
especially when it's a true story
0:16
in the case of this film called devotion
0:19
which is out November 23rd it's the
0:21
perfect film for the holidays
0:24
I love this film because of the man who
0:26
stars in it it's someone I loved his
0:29
career as I've been watching them work
0:30
he's somebody a certain individuals when
0:32
you see him on the screen you don't have
0:35
to worry about it it's a guarantee that
0:37
it's quality
0:38
Sidney Poitier growing Round Round of
0:40
Applause for that if I saw Sydney on the
0:42
screen and I'm sitting down and watching
0:44
if I see Denzel on the screen I'm
0:46
sitting down and watching if I see
0:48
Chadwick on the screen I'm sitting down
0:50
and watching if I see this man on the
0:52
screen who's our guest today DB I'm
0:55
sitting down and watching it well we
0:57
both sat down and watched it last night
0:58
we just watched it from different
0:59
locations you went downtown at the Regal
1:01
I was at a different location uh a
1:03
little further downtown last night and
1:05
uh Our Guest was actually there to do a
1:08
q a after the screening
1:09
I go out it's I left the screening to go
1:12
get my coat and I just happened to run
1:14
into him coming out of the room on his
1:16
way to the Q a so it was so mind you I
1:19
had tears still like rolling down my
1:21
face from the end of the film and so I
1:22
go up to him not expecting to see him
1:24
come out of this room so I'm like oh
1:25
[ __ ] uh Jesse oh wait that's not your
1:27
name your name's Jonathan so it was just
1:28
super like kind of awkward for me anyway
1:30
but I didn't get a chance to tell you
1:32
last night when I saw you because I was
1:33
just so kind of caught off guard but I
1:34
wanted to look you in your face and tell
1:35
you that you didn't
1:36
[ __ ] amazing job with this roll dude
1:38
I mean playing Jesse you didn't even get
1:40
a chance to meet him and you could only
1:42
uh guess what he was feeling in certain
1:44
moments in the film and it was an
1:46
amazing film you were going to win an
1:47
award if it's not for this you are going
1:49
to win Oscars Golden Globes everything
1:51
I'm just telling you about that right
1:52
now and I want that on the tape so that
1:54
when it happens we can go back and be
1:55
like see DB told you I'm telling you you
1:57
are that good on screen and I love
1:58
watching you whether you're Kang and
2:00
Loki whether it's Jesse in this film
2:02
whatever the role is like sway said like
2:04
I am drawn to watching you the five
2:06
Bloods you know what I mean like if it
2:07
is oh my God the work you've been doing
2:10
since we had you on the show last time
2:12
is amazing and so I don't want to take
2:14
up any more time with this intro that
2:15
just wanted to give you your flowers
2:16
while you're here so uh please welcome
2:18
back to the show Once Again a citizen of
2:20
sway in the morning Jonathan major
2:22
starring as Jesse Brown in devotion
2:24
November 23rd go see it please and bring
2:26
some tissues
2:29
there was so many flowers man that was
2:31
so many flowers I think I'm ready to go
2:35
down here first yeah I got nothing for
2:39
you after that
2:40
but you you got to be
2:43
um
2:43
I don't know I I find myself sometimes
2:46
Jonathan
2:47
um when I see myself they keep sitting
2:49
here with you it's surreal for me right
2:51
you know growing up in Oakland and
2:53
seeing facing the adversities I faced
2:55
and going through the things I went
2:56
through and then you you arrive in this
2:59
place and you could be nothing but
3:00
grateful you know for where you are when
3:02
I look at your story it wasn't the
3:04
easiest story was it you know you faced
3:07
a lot of adversity yeah growing up you
3:09
know a little juvenile delinquent where
3:12
are you delinquent homeless you know
3:14
expelled suspended
3:16
beat up beat down you know bro
3:20
stay in the procedure in IT stand the
3:22
procedure I feel like it right it does I
3:24
mean that's all you know it's all you
3:26
know you know and still you know here we
3:28
are here we are yeah glory of God that's
3:31
a round of applies right there and
3:33
that's the irony even with this movie
3:36
devotion which is a story about a leap
3:39
fighter fighter pilot named Jesse Brown
3:41
in his uh wingman uh Tom hudner
3:46
um and it my family was a military
3:48
family mine too Wicked yeah isn't that
3:50
something so taking on this role did did
3:52
that was that part of the Allure
3:55
you know usually I look at the road and
3:57
I go oh man it's about the homies you
3:58
know I think about who it's going to be
4:00
for
4:00
um you know when they see it you know uh
4:03
but this was one of those cases where I
4:05
was like oh man Korean War you know and
4:06
this is the second time first time we
4:08
met I was playing a Korean War veteran
4:09
uh and Atticus Freeman in Lovecraft
4:12
um but Jesse is a Naval aviator you know
4:14
so my my history and knowledge of over
4:17
that war was was just set up you know
4:20
with the Army and and uh the Marines and
4:23
all that right so the Navy something I
4:25
didn't know um but my grandfather was uh
4:28
in the Korean War as well really yeah
4:30
and um it was deep man it was the first
4:33
time I looked at the script and went
4:34
oh I'm going back now you know I'm gonna
4:37
need him to he he would have known you
4:39
know of Jesse he would have known if he
4:41
was around like hey you know Papa you
4:44
know what was this Jesse brown cat like
4:45
you know he'd be like I mean he was a
4:47
celebrity within that world you know but
4:50
for me it was
4:51
it was that you know it was Papa I was
4:54
thinking like okay this is for them this
4:55
is for him you know um telling that
4:57
story and telling those trials and
4:58
tribulations that live in us you know
5:00
ancestrally you know
5:03
yeah I read that um
5:06
for you and we we kind of skipped over
5:08
your childhood but you know dealing with
5:11
all the problems that you faced your
5:13
father wasn't there I read your father
5:15
um disappeared one day came back 17
5:17
years later right [ __ ] happens
5:21
sorry kid yeah
5:23
it happens but perhaps that's the reason
5:27
for the issues you were facing growing
5:29
up as a kid but something changed yeah
5:32
something changed you know at a crucial
5:34
point of your life I heard that acting
5:37
you know became you know almost a savior
5:39
to you bro the acting is um I mean the
5:42
art form
5:43
I mean straight up I mean up and down I
5:45
mean there's no doubt about it you know
5:47
it's uh guess what kept breath in my
5:49
body you know
5:50
you know it was the thing that
5:52
yeah I've been lit it's funny what's
5:53
going on right now like my man sent me
5:55
this thing about Muhammad Ali and he was
5:57
talking about uh uh purpose you know and
6:00
then you know I listen to Nipsey all the
6:02
time yeah I mean yeah the guy Nipsey
6:04
always talking about purpose purpose
6:05
purpose and it's uh it's just now where
6:08
I go
6:09
that's what it was you know acting gave
6:11
me a purpose to live not not to do
6:13
anything else but it gave me a reason to
6:14
live and I'm like okay cool you know and
6:16
the roles and you get somebody like
6:18
Jesse and you go okay his purpose is to
6:20
get in the sky my purpose is to act it's
6:22
a
6:23
it's a hurricane of you know inspiration
6:26
and um
6:27
yeah I mean I don't know what I mean I
6:29
actually do know what would happen if I
6:30
hadn't found acting in fact they hadn't
6:32
found me what would have happened I mean
6:33
my first year at College I mean my
6:35
I got phone calls from the crib all the
6:37
time you know hey you know you make a
6:39
chief yeah what about yeah he went down
6:40
okay cool uh two weeks later hey you
6:44
know best buddy yo where you at uh he
6:47
gonna go okay cool cool you know and I
6:49
was running with them uh I was running
6:50
with those homes
6:54
I was running with him you know um those
6:56
are my boys you know and um
6:59
I I just I just it's so clear you I mean
7:02
I think I think if I'm honest with
7:03
myself it's so clear what could have
7:04
happened with my temperament you know
7:06
I'm walking around probably the most I
7:09
mean in Texas yeah six foot 200 pounds
7:11
yeah black man I'm going down B yeah you
7:13
know what I mean open carry state kid
7:15
yeah it's crazy yeah you know like or or
7:17
or or what will happen is you begin to
7:19
not walk in your purpose yeah I mean you
7:21
begin to minimize yourself and then you
7:22
begin to engender this hatred you know
7:25
uh towards yourself and that I mean
7:28
that's the opposite of what I'm trying
7:29
to do right now you know I'm trying to
7:30
be an example for you know myself you
7:33
know my young self I got a picture of
7:34
myself
7:39
Jonathan Majors is with us right now
7:41
okay
7:48
I think we were expecting a different
7:50
reaction
7:54
s
7:58
yeah that's my ugly ass right there yeah
8:01
let me see you again
8:04
he's like yeah yeah yeah yeah oh okay
8:08
yeah man you look exactly the same
8:09
that's the [ __ ] I wish
8:11
you weren't ugly I was just joking it's
8:14
okay okay all right you're the first one
8:15
to say that no bully growing up oh here
8:18
we go here man I gave you flowers man
8:19
yeah
8:20
it's all up no but it's a handsome kid
8:23
man let's just say that well you know
8:25
whatever it was I remember that kid who
8:27
was you know trying to rap with his
8:29
sister and brother to keep him happy in
8:30
the crib you know I mean like they're
8:32
running around in the country like
8:34
trying to trying to find things to make
8:35
them happy and knowing how sad he was
8:38
and how Lonesome he felt yeah I mean and
8:41
I went
8:42
now bro I got you man yeah I mean like
8:44
like we feel that we feel a point where
8:46
it's like the work and the art and the
8:49
stories Like Jesse Brown and the Jesse
8:51
Brown story that is
8:54
that it's a testimony you know you make
8:56
work like that for folks to go yeah yeah
8:57
we got this you know we can do this you
8:59
know a little black boy from Texas look
9:01
up and saw I mean some of those Cinemas
9:03
I mean the cinema we saw I mean like
9:05
that's
9:06
that's a lot of that's a lot of black
9:08
power I mean that's a lot of um Humanity
9:12
there's a lot of humanity up on that
9:13
screen you know and I think you know
9:15
growing up we didn't necessarily I
9:16
didn't necessarily have that we didn't
9:17
necessarily have that
9:19
um so it's a great opportunity and a
9:20
great time you know to uh be telling
9:23
stories like that for you know young
9:24
homies you know outside of myself and
9:26
you know inside myself what I appreciate
9:28
about you too is you don't and we're
9:31
going to talk about devotion the movie
9:32
and your career but you got to prepare
9:34
emotionally for that you really do but
9:37
if you as a person because you know it's
9:39
it's been crazy it's been a crazy
9:41
climate in this country you know we
9:43
gotten to the point in these positions
9:45
especially we're all in positions of
9:47
power it's because we're in position of
9:48
visibility
9:49
you know anything you say can be held
9:52
against you any action you make any
9:54
affiliation you take opinion you share
9:57
opinion you see I could be held against
9:58
you we've seen what's happened to a lot
10:00
of folks
10:01
um uh more recently because of how they
10:03
believe but you weren't you weren't
10:06
apprehensive or shy about being a
10:08
supporter of the black lives matter
10:10
movement no not at all no you know and
10:13
it would never been a question
10:15
um for you but it was you were adamant
10:17
about being a part why is that
10:18
uh people gotta know I mean it's okay to
10:21
care yeah I mean and it's okay to let
10:23
people know you care you know because
10:26
the way I see it is leadership I mean a
10:29
lot of [ __ ] that happens in this country
10:30
in this world and families is a lack of
10:33
leadership I'm not talking about big dog
10:34
and I'm talking about leadership you
10:35
know being an example and I don't listen
10:38
to nobody you know but you know my mom
10:41
and God you know what I mean and
10:43
that ain't right I mean yeah hell yeah
10:44
I'm a black man let's not be crazy yeah
10:47
yeah I mean like let's not be crazy and
10:49
if
10:49
if you need us on if you need me on the
10:51
front line you know that's where I'm at
10:53
you know I mean that's that's where I
10:55
come from and that's I mean that's
10:56
that's how I'm built yeah I mean and so
10:59
yeah and then you think about the fact
11:00
again the homies everyone's looking you
11:02
know everyone's watching you know to be
11:04
quiet is complacency yeah yeah I mean
11:06
and I think people need to understand
11:07
that yeah and also you need to watch
11:08
your mouth you know it don't stay unless
11:10
you mean it and then stand on it I mean
11:12
that's again that's just that Texas you
11:15
know granddaddy yeah I mean you said it
11:17
boy now you got to back it up you got it
11:19
back it's on now you know yeah um black
11:21
lives matter I mean that's that's a
11:23
that's a non-starter for me I mean
11:24
that's
11:25
that's where you at yeah you know what I
11:27
mean I don't understand if anybody who
11:29
you know getting [ __ ] around but
11:31
you come for me and mine and it's it's
11:33
only popping I I mean I got one yeah I
11:35
got one yeah yeah I mean I mean my
11:37
little girl you got me [ __ ] up you
11:38
know if I'm gonna think I'm just gonna
11:39
sit you got a daughter yeah and just
11:42
nah you know it's it's on us you know
11:45
I'm looking at all the fellas around you
11:46
know like it's on us you two Jordan I
11:49
know Jordan's white but it's only him
11:50
too I said Brothers
11:52
it's
11:55
if you are able-bodied you know it's on
11:57
you it's on you there's always somebody
11:58
behind you you know and you only hear
12:00
because somebody put you here you know
12:01
Believe It or Not That Could Be Your
12:03
Mama it could be your daddy be your
12:04
granddaddy be a great granddaddy you
12:05
don't know what these [ __ ] were
12:06
doing back in the day what kind of
12:08
voodoo they was putting on their seat
12:10
you know
12:11
that's true
12:13
that's true DB
12:16
um so when you were talking about it's
12:17
okay to care and that made me think
12:18
about Glenn and his portrayal of Tom in
12:21
the film because in the film Tom you get
12:25
the sense that he does care about you
12:26
and he wants to understand your pain and
12:29
like why you are the way you are and
12:30
kind of cold and shut off from a lot of
12:31
your you know friends and other military
12:33
and servicemen and everything and so I
12:35
was reading that Glenn had a chance to
12:37
go to Tom's house and like meet with
12:39
them and talk with him and he got to see
12:40
all the photos that he has of Jesse
12:42
around his house and that he still was
12:44
carrying that pain of not being able to
12:46
you know be there for him the way I
12:48
guess he wanted to be did you and Glenn
12:51
get a chance to talk about his
12:53
experience understanding that
12:55
relationship between them the actual
12:56
relationship in order to help you better
12:58
portray Jesse
13:00
no because it's funny uh What Glenn did
13:02
talk about was that he didn't um
13:05
Tom uh didn't talk about it much really
13:08
and there was a it was a quietness about
13:10
him around it
13:12
um his entire life after
13:15
um the events in Korea uh we're
13:18
surrounded you know by uh Jesse you know
13:23
um his his all his honors you know his
13:26
governmental honors his military honors
13:27
uh were bestowed on him because of the
13:29
event that happened between uh he and
13:31
Jesse the book
13:33
um all of that you know was around that
13:35
so I think there was a room Tom Tom uh
13:38
Glenn uh told me about that essentially
13:41
was that you know not necessarily A
13:45
a shrine but just like a room that said
13:47
this is this is the Legacy you know what
13:49
I mean
13:50
um
13:51
and our objective was I mean talking art
13:54
now like our objective was to
13:57
um reconstruct that you know and go okay
14:00
cool what does that feel like what's
14:01
that look like you know and
14:03
for Jesse because you know
14:06
because they're given circumstances we
14:07
didn't have him to to deal with you know
14:10
I didn't have him to chat with you
14:12
almost have to do okay what is the
14:13
impact of this individual you know and
14:15
therefore what was the impact of uh this
14:17
friendship ultimately every friendship
14:18
doesn't lead to a legacy you know I mean
14:21
these two men's Journey came together
14:23
their stories came together and what
14:25
came from it was two individual legacies
14:28
I mean here we are 70 years later plus
14:30
uh promoting a film about the heroic
14:35
um humanitarian acts these men have done
14:38
you know
14:39
um
14:40
so that was that was our conversation
14:41
and kind of breaking it down and saying
14:43
okay what what would it take
14:45
for a man to carry another man's name
14:48
and Legacy what would that friendship
14:50
have to look like what would that uh
14:52
what would the impact have to be
14:54
um for that to happen and we began to do
14:56
that slowly you know you talked about
14:57
the access you know that Jesse didn't
15:00
allow access to a lot of the guys
15:01
what was it about Tom that made him
15:03
special therefore what was about
15:05
glennon's process to say okay I'm going
15:06
to let you in you know I'm gonna allow
15:08
access which is a huge component of the
15:10
film you know this kid's from
15:11
Mississippi little black boy from
15:13
Mississippi that finds his way uh into
15:16
into the Navy then makes its way into a
15:18
Navy Aviation and then becomes the best
15:20
from the mother Mississippi to the sky
15:22
that's access yeah I mean that that
15:24
transcends uh his given circumstances of
15:27
uh you know white supremacist
15:30
um
15:31
South and America that he's living in
15:33
yeah at that time right
15:36
um at that time one of the things and
15:38
that's what I
15:39
the race relations wasn't necessarily
15:43
the Marquee of the film no not at all
15:46
which I appreciated about it and that
15:49
was something Jesse wanted to make sure
15:50
it was clear Jesse Brown the person you
15:53
portray is that you know I'm an aviator
15:55
yeah I'm not just a Aviator who's black
15:58
I'm an aviator right and another thing
16:01
that I found interesting about his
16:02
character when people when you see this
16:04
movie devotion and this might be a
16:06
little spoiler but I don't think it's
16:08
gonna really spoil it the Jesse Jesse's
16:13
Brown character Jesse Brown would
16:15
actually
16:16
um because of the role he was in was so
16:17
Elite and rare a lot of times you know
16:20
he had to have conversations with
16:22
himself
16:23
and one of the most powerful scenes is a
16:25
scene where you're looking in the mirror
16:28
and you're repeating back as Jesse Brown
16:30
all the derogatory negative things that
16:33
people have said to you and that you
16:36
will never ever be able to do the way
16:38
you did that when I'm looking at that
16:40
scene sometimes I wonder if characters
16:42
transcend back into the person
16:44
portraying it back into the character so
16:47
I'm looking at your face and I'm
16:49
wondering what did he go through to be
16:51
able to pull this moment off did you
16:52
have anything that you identified with
16:54
in the way he would have that process of
16:57
oh my brother my brother my brother
17:00
um that's an interesting moment uh
17:02
because you know you get a script you
17:04
know you see the lines you memorize the
17:06
lines you go in there you do it
17:07
um in this scenario
17:10
um
17:12
the vibration on the day was was
17:13
straight was quite High and um
17:17
we went in we did it
17:19
I did exactly what was on the page you
17:21
know what we call a DLP dead leather
17:23
perfect boom that's what's on the page
17:25
you got it done
17:27
um but that was the rehearsal that's
17:28
just lining up the camera and then we
17:31
went and you know it's a little lighting
17:33
adjustment so maybe two minutes three
17:35
minutes of rest
17:37
um or relaxation that's what I call it
17:38
and as I was sitting there about to
17:41
start the scene
17:42
essentially a whole slew of language
17:45
started coming
17:47
and I was like oh no
17:49
because I can't you can't deny it when
17:51
it comes you know
17:53
JD's not there for me to say hey man I'm
17:54
gonna do it like this or you know just
17:57
shoot this just let's run with it and uh
17:59
when we got there the language that
18:01
started coming out the language that's
18:03
captured in the film it's not the
18:04
language that's in the script oh really
18:06
and it was coming from
18:08
um
18:09
yes Jesse but also
18:11
um
18:12
she was like damn man he felt that which
18:14
is which is which is everything to me
18:16
where it goes like yeah it did get quite
18:17
personal you know
18:19
um more personal because usually in the
18:21
scene it's you and me the way I'm
18:23
looking at you you looking at me that's
18:24
what it is it's quite rare that you're
18:26
doing a scene literally with yourself
18:28
you know and so you have to say things
18:30
that you can't lie yeah yeah I mean you
18:33
can't lie certain things that don't
18:34
bother me that don't bother me don't
18:37
bother me oh you say that that's gonna
18:39
get me yeah I mean and we needed what
18:42
needed to happen that moment was the uh
18:43
breaking we need to see our hero break
18:46
therefore we could see his superpower
18:47
which is this man can actually heal
18:49
himself
18:50
he somehow he's figured out how to do
18:52
that we as a culture you know in the
18:55
certain individuals marginalized
18:56
individuals have learned to do that you
18:59
know and everyone has their own ritual
19:00
everyone has their own mirror scene and
19:02
so I had to do that you know uh the
19:04
flight the flight and the swimming yeah
19:06
that's that's
19:07
um uh circumstantial you know to the to
19:10
the world of the play yeah but someone
19:13
knows that boy you know I mean I
19:15
remember that I remember that you know
19:17
like yeah people called you that when
19:19
you were growing up I watched them like
19:20
call my uh granddaddy that somebody
19:22
called your granddaddy boy yeah and my
19:24
Grandad was six eight
19:26
uh
19:27
300 pounds just in a war veteran and I
19:30
watched them and um I saw he and he was
19:33
so gentle you know and uh didn't get
19:36
angry you know didn't show it you know
19:38
but I knew Lord I knew yeah you know and
19:41
I'm this I'm this homie you're the
19:43
little guy yeah yeah yeah you know
19:47
looking at my guy look at him like look
19:49
I was like oh wow that's your God that's
19:51
my man yeah I mean that's that's my
19:53
protector that's my that's my tree you
19:55
know
19:56
um and I felt that you know I felt and
19:58
he came through you know they all came
20:00
through
20:01
um and that's what we got but it was
20:02
extremely personal it was you know
20:05
it's been a long road it's been a long
20:06
time that's what I see man yeah man you
20:09
you you you got so many parallels to
20:11
this uh Jesse the character but even you
20:14
saying he he his his power was the
20:17
ability to heal himself when I look at
20:19
your story I feel like that's part of
20:21
your power too you feel that way
20:24
gonna get me here
20:28
when I say acting with our art form I
20:31
say art art form entertainment you know
20:33
whatever you know it's I'm just a niche
20:36
of it you know it has to be yeah I mean
20:38
it has to be uh healing you know it can
20:41
be entertaining but for me I just speak
20:44
for myself because that's what you're
20:45
asking yeah it is okay you know I I look
20:47
for a role and I go okay what does that
20:50
where am I uncomfortable you know
20:51
where's the hurt if I can't find the
20:52
hurt in the script
20:54
that means that that means I'm kind of
20:55
okay with that it's like I would be
20:57
acting yeah I mean because when you
20:58
watch me look at a script you go okay
21:00
what is the Arc of it what does I say
21:01
what is what is the arc or what is the
21:03
healing I'm going from uh
21:05
untrustworthy right I'm going from an
21:08
untrustworthy guy to a guy who allows
21:10
who allows so much access that my legacy
21:13
can be pushed forward
21:15
I know I got a lot of distrust in me you
21:17
know what I mean and at the end of that
21:18
I I learned devotion at the end of this
21:20
film you know wow that's how you keep
21:22
going as an artist I think that's how I
21:24
keep going as an artist where I go I got
21:26
to get something from this I gotta get
21:28
something from this I'm not watching the
21:29
picture that's for that's for y'all I
21:32
got to make it that's a huge privilege
21:33
but I've got to get my healing in this
21:36
you know and hopefully in doing so you
21:38
know mirror neurons
21:39
you you get a little something yeah you
21:42
get a little something yeah yeah we walk
21:43
that way we walked out we walked out the
21:45
uh the screening I thought he was crying
21:48
God he hated it you know Tuesday
21:51
we had a full subject this morning about
21:53
men who cried because of your film yeah
21:55
I'm not leaving because I didn't like it
22:00
we confronted a lot of you know things
22:02
we as men we as black men bro that we
22:06
deal with and all triggered from this
22:08
film our vulnerability is our is our
22:10
superpower yeah yeah I mean so much in
22:12
fact that you know Society is built
22:15
to make us have Shame about it yeah I
22:18
mean and so we don't show it therefore
22:20
we don't use it therefore we walking
22:21
around you know they say we use a you
22:23
know a certain fraction of our brains we
22:25
only use a certain fraction of our power
22:27
you know what I mean as as black man you
22:29
know as my boy the second girl I mean
22:31
you know if you got kids you know what
22:33
if you've fallen in love yeah you can do
22:35
Supernatural Supernatural things with
22:38
that vulnerability it is the thing that
22:40
allows us to fly you know I mean like
22:42
that's it I mean Point Blank period I'm
22:44
not saying I have snot running down your
22:45
nose every eight minutes but [ __ ] catch
22:47
me on the wrong day I will be crying
22:49
every every two full minutes you know
22:52
wow man so it's so beautiful I love a
22:54
good cry you know I love a good cry well
22:56
you need it bro we all need it it's like
22:59
eyeball exfoliation you know what I mean
23:01
you just get rid of whatever toxins and
23:02
[ __ ] that was on your mind cry it out
23:04
and start a new day you're ready to go
23:05
you're ready to go yeah yeah [ __ ] y'all
23:07
want a hug maybe maybe okay
23:11
Buddies
23:15
[Applause]
23:17
I love you bro
23:20
yeah Jordan Jordan this man is a huge
23:24
fan of yours he stopped me and he
23:26
doesn't even do this he doesn't do he's
23:28
he what is your title here uh music
23:30
coordinator yeah music coordinator
23:31
nowhere near this nowhere near this but
23:34
he said Jonathan Majors is coming home
23:36
I'm a huge fan
23:38
I said all right man to let me know what
23:40
you think do some research he didn't do
23:42
research he prepped a whole like jeez
23:44
you could do a town hall meeting with
23:46
you right now but I invited him him here
23:49
to meet you and allow him the
23:51
opportunity to ask you a question yeah I
23:53
mean that's a that's a very high bar
23:54
that doesn't um well I'm just gonna say
23:56
you already got my vote because you
23:58
wearing Remy wolf yep I love her I'll
24:00
see you cheating
24:05
for sure
24:08
um that's conversation for another time
24:09
no doubt um but I guess we've talked
24:12
about a little bit I think one of the
24:13
things that stands out to me in your
24:14
career so far
24:15
obviously very early on
24:17
um and hopefully many more to come but I
24:20
think the projects that you've picked
24:21
whether it's the last black man in San
24:23
Francisco The Harder They Fall now this
24:25
I'm not even going to worry about what's
24:26
coming next but I think you've done such
24:30
an amazing job of not pinning yourself
24:31
into one category whether it's switching
24:34
genres it's even style wise what is it
24:38
that you maybe
24:40
I don't want to say manifest but is
24:41
there something that you haven't done
24:42
yet that is sort of
24:45
something you'd want to do something
24:46
you've always dreamed of wow
24:50
um
24:52
I'd say
24:54
kind of have to you know I've always
24:56
been like oh man I want to do biopics
24:57
don't do public you know
24:59
Jesse but now I've realized oh there's a
25:01
way to do a biopic that's like
25:02
you know Wicked yeah uh or I mean
25:05
they're all Wicked but that's more
25:06
comfortable for me I mean and I think uh
25:09
just looking at the climate you know
25:11
there's certain
25:13
uh fuckeries that are in our culture you
25:17
know uh that just don't go away they
25:19
kind of ebb and flow but they don't go
25:20
away and that's good for an artist
25:22
because you can go okay I'm going after
25:24
that you know and I think a character a
25:27
historical character that could uh
25:29
really speak to that and whose Legacy
25:31
really speaks to that and really
25:33
confronts that in a in a
25:36
really
25:38
it's right there on the top you know uh
25:40
is our brother Frederick Douglass oh
25:43
and it's uh it's extremely ambitious you
25:46
mean and a lot of his hustle and a lot
25:49
of his
25:50
um
25:51
you know piss and vinegar came when he
25:53
was he was around he was he was a young
25:55
man you know and I think and also I mean
25:58
you could do the
26:00
yeah I mean that that's it yeah I mean
26:02
like if I was like if I was gonna make a
26:03
picture you know if I was gonna make one
26:05
more picture you know and that was gonna
26:07
be it I was like give me Frederick
26:08
Douglass
26:12
yeah come on Spielberg come on Spike you
26:16
know whoever whoever wants to do that
26:17
you know because
26:19
what's happening in our world right now
26:21
it you realize it's a circle yeah this
26:23
[ __ ] just keeps happening yeah I mean
26:24
like like who who historically was
26:28
saying not be you know me like from the
26:31
jump and it's like him you know it's
26:33
like Douglas yeah you can make the
26:34
Douglas picture and run it
26:45
you know I think Frederick is
26:48
brother Doug was beautiful you know and
26:50
we don't really know much about him you
26:52
know I mean not not for real for real
26:53
yeah I mean Shakespeare sure Frederick
26:55
Douglass
26:56
if you heard his bars come on man you
26:59
know me yeah he did have bars bars
27:01
Frederick Douglass has bars and he wrote
27:04
them himself yes yeah he didn't have a
27:06
Ghostwriter
27:08
good question Jordan who you think got
27:10
bars now out of the MCs
27:13
who's your barred up MCS look over here
27:15
yes
27:20
you asking me yeah who the barter of MC
27:23
yeah
27:28
according to you according to Jonathan
27:30
majors best boys in the MCU that's hard
27:35
no MC oh like MCS oh at home again
27:47
I thought you said I thought you said
27:49
Ipsy I was like I'm not answering that
27:50
question
27:52
you can't you don't you don't you get
27:55
problems yeah yeah uh let's ah man
27:58
um because I hear you mentioned Nipsey
27:59
you know love Nipsey bro yeah that's a
28:02
piece of profit yeah I mean love Nipsey
28:04
um
28:06
let J Cole man J Cole Love Jayco
28:10
um
28:14
yeah yeah it's Texas actually I'm really
28:18
I'm I'm really [ __ ] with him hard
28:19
right now yeah I like the whole culture
28:22
of it yeah I mean
28:23
um like the presentation is incredible
28:25
the dancing the choreography the color
28:28
everything is and it's coming it's
28:30
intentional yeah it's purposeful right
28:32
and shout out to Fat yeah and it's
28:34
positive yeah yeah you got your got your
28:36
boot thing with you the whole time let's
28:38
go yeah I mean like that that'd be
28:39
that's a nice house so Toby I like that
28:41
so we always say we said well-rounded
28:44
I did a whole I went back in time
28:47
listening to some of the first J Cole
28:49
mixtapes yeah
29:43
yeah I did
29:45
damn yeah I was with Pimp C in jail so
29:48
I'm watching that on the plane okay I'm
29:50
watching that right I'm watching that in
29:51
the car you
29:54
you know you know yeah but uh but uh man
29:57
Jonathan man it's good to see you
29:59
uh
30:01
congratulations man thank you DB said it
30:04
you're gonna get an award not that
30:06
that's why you do this no but but you
30:08
should be recognized for the work that
30:10
he does like this dude is exceptional I
30:13
am I'm happy to see somebody who came
30:15
from a similar background that I did
30:17
grow you know being a Duncanville I was
30:19
in Louisville we talked about it you
30:20
know last time and so it's just I know
30:23
what you were talking about about like
30:25
being in Texas and having those
30:26
challenges that come up through life you
30:28
know and it can happen anywhere I'm not
30:30
trying gas station right I'm not trying
30:31
to download anything but just like just
30:33
watching somebody
30:35
go from homelessness and all the
30:37
challenges you face to being like this
30:39
incredible new guy coming up in the
30:41
ranks in Hollywood and just I I want you
30:43
to win something and be recognized
30:44
whether that's a goal for you or you
30:45
even care about that stuff I want you to
30:47
win something because you deserve it
30:49
I appreciate you hey man how big is your
30:51
house now going from homeless the you
30:53
know a lot of times when you homeless
30:54
people try to get the biggest houses
30:56
right yeah well uh I I haven't I've been
30:59
on the road for seven years
31:01
so I got six very nice suitcases and
31:04
that's about it that's it yeah and they
31:06
kind of run around with me from here to
31:07
there you like living like that huh
31:09
I think his occupational hazard you know
31:11
now I think it's I was a kind of used to
31:14
it yeah you know every four months
31:15
evicted we out you know all right let's
31:17
go it works though y'all were evicted
31:20
every four months yeah my mom ain't
31:22
gonna like to hear that but yeah before
31:24
the four to five yeah bro Cedar Hill
31:26
Texas I've been living every single
31:28
apartment complex in that [ __ ]
31:30
yeah every every single one you know
31:34
every other every single one we've been
31:37
in there you know uh I know about the
31:39
complex life you can bounce around in
31:41
there you know what I mean you can stay
31:42
afloat and at least have something over
31:43
your head to keep you warm but
31:45
it was your knuckle game like yo
31:47
Jonathan sits with his hands like you
31:49
know
31:50
it seems like you still you're still
31:52
harboring that anger Jesse Brown
31:56
it's okay
32:01
you're all right man we in New York
32:03
that's right that's right it's all good
32:05
so he's on the big screen hey man give a
32:08
big round of applies man Jonathan majors
32:10
and here's the thing out of all the
32:12
excellent work you've been doing bro
32:14
this is
32:16
to me you and you in the first quarter
32:20
you know what I mean like you know
32:22
you're in the first everything you do
32:23
before that is like preseason it's like
32:25
boot camp is like training camp yes sir
32:27
you're just in the first quarter and the
32:30
way you're doing it is it's um what he
32:32
was saying what Jordan was saying the
32:34
way you navigated your you've been
32:36
navigating your career feels purposeful
32:38
so that's why when I said when I see you
32:41
on screen I go oh okay I know this is
32:45
gonna be a good one man well I I know
32:48
that because I know what you choose when
32:50
I see Denzel on on
32:52
Denzel I don't have to know what the
32:55
movie is about instant download isn't it
32:57
it's a download like Jacob
32:59
J Cole I'm gonna listen to J Cole yeah
33:02
eventually you know I love J Cole okay
33:09
I don't know what it is is I've been in
33:12
it so long that a lot of times when when
33:14
he first came out he's doing a mixtape
33:16
he had a lot of um I don't know if he
33:18
had a lot of he had a lot of attention
33:20
from the right people like a lot of
33:22
folks I worked with at that time at MTV
33:24
News we were hip hop MTV News yeah I did
33:26
MTV I'm chilling I'm tripping down I'm
33:28
just [ __ ] with you now bro
33:31
yeah
33:35
brother you know
33:45
I like that man but anyway man I love J
33:48
Cole and I think J Cole will be one of
33:50
those artists how we see uh Coldplay or
33:54
how we see Aerosmith or the Rolling
33:57
Stones performing as long as they want
33:59
to a Radiohead okay there you go
34:02
um you might be a chili pepper fan yeah
34:06
you'll be able to do this for a lifetime
34:09
go with it man oh I already see it man
34:12
Jonathan Majors get that man a big round
34:13
of applause you're coming back we're
34:15
gonna have some sports and celebrity
34:16
wire yes we do John do you want to say
34:19
anything in closing
34:21
God bless you God bless you man devotion
34:24
make sure you see the movie November
34:25
23rd see it twice Sway in the Morning
34:27
shave four or five
#Arts & Entertainment