The biographical sports drama Air is all about how Nike signed their biggest sneaker deal with Michael Jordan, creating the iconic Air Jordan line of shoes. However, despite the fact that Michael Jordan is the definition of a basketball icon, and he's at the center of this historic deal that helped make Nike what it is now, he’s barely in the movie, and he's never really seen, but there's a reason for it. As the star, co-producer, and director of Air, Ben Affleck explained why this former NBA star is hardly featured on-screen in a movie all about his legendary shoe deal, and I gotta say, it makes a lot of sense.
Given what a basketball legend Michael Jordan is, Affleck knew that there are some people who are too incredible to be portrayed by someone else. The Air director elaborated on this idea with The Hollywood Reporter saying that just a body double was used for the character of Jordan, and they only shot him from behind or in profile, making the intentional decision to never show his face. The actor/director elaborated further, saying:
Jordan is too big. He exists above and around the story, but if you ever concretize him, if you ever say, ‘Yes, that’s Michael Jordan,’ we know it’s not, really. It’s fake. I thought if the audience brought everything they thought and remembered about him and what he meant to them to the movie and projected it onto the movie, it worked better.
He makes a good point, Jordan is a living legend, and finding an actor to play him seems like it would be impossible. Also, Air may center around Jordan's name, but the real story is about the risky deal Nike made with him and his mother that led both the company and the NBA player to massive success.
If you’re seeing this movie in hopes that you’ll see Michael Jordan make an on-screen appearance either as a cameo or being portrayed by another actor, you’ll be disappointed. According to Vulture, the character of Jordan is off-screen for most of the movie with Damian Delano Young playing his double in the important marketing meeting scenes. Only his back and profile are shown, and he has minimal lines, including: “Bulls colors” and “Hello.” As Ben Affleck said, there are some historical figures out there that are “too titanic” to be impersonated.
Just because Michael Jordan is not seen on-screen throughout the movie like Ben Affleck or his buddy Matt Damon are, it doesn’t mean he didn’t play a pivotal role behind the scenes. The Air star told THR that the friendship he has with Michael Jordan involves them playing cards sometimes and having mutual friends. The director also made sure to ask for the blessing of his "hero" before making the movie. They also made sure to secure the one actor the NBA legend asked for when agreeing to the movie, which was that Viola Davis would play his mother. So while you never see the player in person, his influence can be felt during the movie.
It was a good thing the Argo director went to Jordan for his blessing because, along with the request for Davis, Jordan also gave Affleck some important facts that needed to be included in the script that wasn't there. Some new additions included Nike executive Howard White and the impact Jordan's mother had on the Nike deal. This is how the Davis request came to be, and you better believe the Fences actress didn't turn down that offer. After all, when you’re told the Michael Jordan wants you to play his mom, how could she say no to that?
The on-screen presence of Michael Jordan may be minimal, but this prominent basketball figure did not need to physically be in the movie in order for Air to soar. After Air premiered at SXSW, critics were saying that this behind-the-scenes sports movie had amazing direction and gave viewers a different perspective of the sports world outside of what happens on the court. If you want to see the film that’s been hailed by many as “the year’s best film so far,” you can see this 2023 movie release in theaters now.
