One of the most actors in demand in Hollywood right now is 31 year old Cali native Michael B. Jordan. From playing “Kilmonger” in this year’s Black Panther blockbuster to playing the real-life Oscar Grant in the chilling Fruitvale Station, Jordan can fill the shoes of almost any character thrown at him in front of a camera.
The actor admits a history of demanding a different kind of role than those immediately available to him. Jordan speaks with Issa Rae on Variety‘s “Actors On Actors” and talks candidly about his strategy.
“Right around the time Fruitvale Station went down, I told my agents I didn’t want to go out for any roles written for African Americans,” he said on Actors On Actors. “I didn’t want it. I wanted only [roles for] white men. That’s it. That’s all I want to do.”
Thirty-one years after Robert Townsend’s Hollywood Shuffle satire on Black typecasting and challenges in Hollywood, a top actor admits it is still very real.
“Me playing that role is going to make it what it is. I don’t want any pre-bias on the character. Writers write what they know, what they think encounters with us would be, and that’s slight bias.”
