Michael B. Jordan explains why he turns down roles where his character dies

The actor says he's more selective about what he says "yes" to

Michael B. Jordan no longer takes roles where his character dies, and the reason why may surprise you.

Oct 2, 2019

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Michael B. Jordan no longer takes roles where his character dies, and the reason why may surprise you.

According to US Weekly, the 32-year-old actor reveals how his mother heavily influenced his decision to no longer accept roles that lead to his on screen death.

“I never thought about what my mom went through seeing her son die so many times and how she would cry so hard and it would tear me up, and when I got older and matured and started looking at things, I was like, ‘Man, I can’t do this anymore,’” he admitted during the Just Mercy press conference at Toronto International Film Festival last month. “Part of the reason why I almost refused a lot of roles [was] because I can’t die anymore.”

“I want people to see me live,” he added. “I want for me, as a character, I want to survive all three acts. I want people to watch me right into the credits.”

“Your audience gets conditioned to seeing you die also, so you want to be able to put those heroic tones in it, depending on, you know, leading man,” he continued. “That’s kind of what I was going for, so it was strategic to walk away from some of those roles and start living.”

"The first time I visited death row I didn't expect to meet someone the same age as me."

Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx star in the history-making true battle for justice, #JustMercy. pic.twitter.com/J4HoPLLKVr

— Fandango (@Fandango) September 4, 2019

During the press event, Jordan’s Just Mercy castmate Jamie Foxx also praised him for his commitment on the set. “The first day we’re shooting, he had a pinched nerve that no one can figure out. Forty-five minutes of sleep before we shot, and he cared about it so much,” the Oscar winner recalled. “What you did … gives us the DNA of who you are as not only an actor but an activist.”

“At one point, he was fumbling a couple lines. ‘Oh, sorry. Sorry about that.’ And I told him, ‘You don’t have to say sorry to anybody. If it takes you 30 minutes to say one line, you take it,’” Foxx continued about how Jordan worked through physical pain to deliver an outstanding performance.

“He goes away, he comes back, he runs his speech and the whole courtroom erupted. Standing ovation. … I remember I texted him. I said, ‘Hey, you know you just did something amazing.’”