Ben Affleck reveals the one request Michael Jordan made for ‘Air’
The director of the new movie Air, Ben Affleck, has revealed the one request Michael Jordan made before the film was made about his iconic partnership with Nike.
Telling the story of Sonny Vaccaro, the Nike employee who managed to convince Jordan to partner with the sports brand, Affleck’s new movie stars the likes of Matt Damon, Damian Young, Chris Messina and Jason Bateman. Made with Jordan’s blessing, the athlete made just one request before the film went into production: he wanted Viola Davis to play his on-screen mum.
Speaking about his new movie at its SXSW premiere, the director stated: “I had a chance to sit down with Michael Jordan, because I just wasn’t going to make this movie without asking him, ‘What matters to you?’ Interestingly, and tellingly, he had a few things that mattered”.
Continuing, Affleck added: “I got the script and then had the chance again to talk to Michael. Michael Jordan, for those of you who don’t know, is one of the most intimidating, impressive men you’ll ever see in your life…He told me about his father. And then he talked about his mother. It was the first time I saw this look cross his face. It was a look of reverence, of awe, of love, and gratitude, and innocence. He said, ‘None of this would have ever happened without my mother.’ I said, ‘Who would you like to play your mom?’ He said, ‘Well, it has to be Viola Davis”.
Taken aback by the request, Affleck exclaimed, “That’s like saying, ‘Can I play basketball on your court?’ ‘Yeah, if you get Michael Jordan.’ “Viola Davis is the best actor I’ve ever seen”.
Davis stars as Jordan’s mother, Deloris, in the movie, alongside the likes of Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Chris Tucker. Check out the trailer for the film below.
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