By Jonathan Landrum Jr., Entertainment Writer
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) --When Michael B. Jordan first met with "Moonlight" writer Tarell Alvin McCraney, the two surprisingly discovered through an emotional conversation that both had more in common than they realized.
McCraney might jokingly attest, but Jordan said during a recent interview that their lengthy talk years ago about creating a new television project "ended in tears." That's when the "Creed" and "Black Panther" star knew he wanted to work with McCraney to develop their drama series "David Makes Man," which airs Wednesdays on Oprah Winfrey's OWN.
"It was the first time honestly that I actually heard my own internal thoughts through somebody else," said Jordan, who is a co-executive producer of the series through his Outlier Society Productions company along with Winfrey.
"You know like the things that he experienced growing up — family, throughout his community, the choices, the mental struggle of trying to make the right decision, trying to make the right choices, and trying to burden himself with being the man in the family taking care of everybody," he continued. "Trying to fix everything for everyone and putting yourself last. To actually hear somebody else say it, I'm like 'Wow, OK.' I'm not the only person that thinks like that or feels that way."
"David Makes Man" is partially based on McCraney's upbringing. The series follows 14-year-old David, played by Akili McDowell, who tries to juggle relationships between his magnet school friends and drug dealers in his South Florida impoverished neighborhood.
McCraney said he felt more confident about the project after meeting with Jordan.
"MBJ and I didn't grow up in the same environment and yet we were burdened with some of the same intersections," said McCraney, who won an Academy Award for co-writing "Moonlight," an adaption of his play "Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue."
"That means that there are more people around the world who indeed need space at the hearth," he added. "We all need the warmth of these stories to remind ourselves and see ourselves better. That was one of the reasons why we wanted to be at OWN as well. We wanted to be amongst stories about black people. This show is black — blackity, black, black, black."
The story explores David's childhood trauma after the death of his close friend and mentor, Sky, who was a drug dealer. His former drug-addict mother also relies on him to find a way out of poverty through higher education.
McCraney said David is very different than Chiron, the main character in "Moonlight." He said the series will explore David's multiple personas, calling it "code switch."
"'Moonlight' has a deep vantage point of me growing up and finding my queer identity. … But David is night and day different than Chiron," McCraney said. "(David) walks into a school, I'm a new person. He walks out of school, I'm another person. I'm in front of the drug boys, I'm a different person. That dexterity to me is a whole avenue of humanity that we experience in the black community that we don't talk about, that we haven't talked about. At least I haven't seen it."
McDowell said David uses his vivid imagination to endure life's challenges. His character randomly holds animated conversations with an imaginary sky.
"This show is to let kids know that you're not alone," he said. "It's OK to cry sometimes. It's OK to scream sometimes just to let it go, because you need that to vent. Also, the power of imagination. That's what helps people survive out here."
Jordan said McDowell, 16, has grown as an actor and took hold of the lead role.
"I see a lot of myself in him," Jordan said. "Honestly, like watching his tapes and going through the whole process and camera reads and casting process, which is not easy by any means for a young talent like himself. But he was resilient. He came to work every day. You can see him progress."
Eleanor Adds Director Candice Vernon To Its Roster For Spots and Branded Content
Director Candice Vernon has joined production house Eleanor for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content. She has already wrapped several jobs at Eleanor, which waited to announce her until they had a body of work together.
Via Eleanor, Vernon made history as the first Black director on a Febreze commercial. The “Small Spaces” campaign marks a major departure from Febreze’s typical blue-and-white world. The home of the “Revolving Door” commercial is a beautiful array of bold sunset hues, African prints, and African art.
Vernon said, “I asked myself, what feels right to me? What feels new? I wanted to bring an essence of not just Black Americans but the full diaspora. I wanted to make a statement that we’re not a monolith.”
Following the success of the “Small Spaces” campaign, Febreze brought Vernon back for a comedy-infused trifecta exploring the hilarious situations that call for an air freshening hero.
Febreze Brand VP Angelica Matthews said, “About two years ago, we realized the consumers that were the most loyal to Febreze were the African American consumers. And the more we learned, the more we realized the richness that we were really missing. So we said we have to go beyond just Black casting, we need to get Black directors that truly understand the culture that truly understand how to bring authentic performances out on screen. We really looked around the industry and noticed there’s actually a shortage of African American directors who have experience doing commercials. When we all saw Candice’s reel, we could all tell the passion for the craft, passion for really trying to help us from where we are to where we’re trying to go.”
Vernon brings a unique lens to... Read More