Denzel Washington is one of the most beloved and decorated actors in movie history, and over the years, he’s picked a few select movies to direct himself. The latest is A Journal For Jordan, which marks the first time he’s helmed a movie that he doesn’t star in. Instead, that pleasure goes to Black Panther’s Michael B. Jordan, and as one of the few actors who has had the honor to be directed by the two-time Oscar winner, Jordan has some insight into Washington as a filmmaker.
While speaking to CinemaBlend, Michael B. Jordan shared his experience working with Denzel Washington, especially ahead of his upcoming turn as a director for Creed III. In Jordan’s words:
I think it’s understanding what an actor needs. Being an actor and also someone who is also a director himself, he’s part of the secret society, you know? Actors we have our club, and directors have their own and we need each other. When you have somebody who does both, it’s an understanding of both languages fluently. So [Denzel Washington] can jump into my inner psyche easily and what I’m thinking. Things I would need to feel comfortable or would like to have to bring the best out of myself, he already knows. So, it’s just a nice shorthand that I have with him that’s special and different than I’ve had with any other director I’ve worked with.
Michael B. Jordan has worked with a slew of great directors, from Ryan Coogler to Destin Daniel Cretton. So the actor has impressive experience already, but he shared with us that A Journal For Jordan made for something “different” than any other project he’s been on because a truly great actor was his director.
As Michael B. Jordan said, Denzel Washington has the kind of shorthand with him that he can not get from filmmakers, because they simply don’t have the same experience as Washington does. Previously, Jordan shared that Washington helped him prepare for his work on Creed III by asking him a “shiton of questions” and “observing how he runs a set.”
Michael B. Jordan called A Journal For Jordan the “right project” for him to take on prior to deciding to helm Creed III for that specific reason. He basically got to learn from someone who had a hand in paving the path for him. A Journal For Jordan tells the story of a real war hero and the impact he has on his family while he was with them and following his untimely death.
The movie is based on the memoir of the same name by Dana Canedy, who was the fiancé of First Sergeant Charles Monroe King and mother to their son Jordan. King was a soldier in the Iraq War, going back and forth between New York and the war overseas as he and Dana fell in love and started a family. You can read CinemaBlend’s review for A Journal For Jordan now and check out the movie in theaters starting Christmas Day. And look out for Creed III late next year on November 23, 2022, among other movies listed in our 2022 release schedule.
