Michael B. Jordan reveals why he wanted Lauren London for ‘Without Remorse’

“We missed her," said Jordan

May 1, 2021

Michael B. Jordan is heating up screens across the globe now that Without Remorse is streaming on Amazon and theGrio caught up with the actor to find out why he decided to lend his talents to this particular film.

“It was a lot of fun. I’m a gamer, you know, I like playing Rainbow Six and Call of Duty and all that stuff so I was comfortable in that space,” he explains. “My dad is a Marine, you know, growing up around, you know, that type of environment was kind of normal for me. So to be able to pay tribute to people who serve, I think was really important to me. All the sacrifice they give for our freedoms and our country is really, really important.”

While there are some pretty wrenching, emotional moments in the fast-paced flick, Jordan spends much of the time wielding some powerful weapons.

“To be able to step into the shoes of a Navy SEAL and train under water and, you know, all the hand-to-hand combat and weapons training and tactical training,” he says. “I was a kid in a candy store to be perfectly honest.”

Without Remorse comes from author, Tom Clancy and serves as the origin story for the beloved action hero, John Clark who is part of the Jack Ryan universe. In it, an elite Navy SEAL uncovers an international conspiracy while seeking justice for the murder of his pregnant wife. When a squad of Russian soldiers kills his family in retaliation for his role in a top-secret op, Sr. Chief John Kelly (Jordan) pursues the assassins at all costs.

Joining forces with a fellow SEAL (Jodie Turner-Smith) and a shadowy CIA agent (Jamie Bell), Kelly’s mission unwittingly exposes a covert plot that threatens to engulf the U.S. and Russia in an all-out war. Torn between personal honor and loyalty to his country, Kelly must fight his enemies without remorse if he hopes to avert disaster and reveal the powerful figures behind the conspiracy.

Jordan says he has been a fan of Tom Clancy’s work since he was a kid and this version certainly provides some major updates. Obviously, making the main character a Black man is a new, but the film also turned Jodie Turner-Smith’s character into a woman.

“Being familiar with the Tom Clancy universe since I as a kid, I felt like It was something that I felt like I could add something to and surround myself with talented actors and an incredible director and and give a take that I think people would be interested in watching. So hopefully we follow through on some of those promises,” said Jordan.

The film also features Lauren London in her first performance since the death of her partner, Nipsey Hussle in 2019 and Jordan is the one who asked her to do it.

“I think Lauren is an incredible actress and she’s been out of the game, out of the scene for a while and we missed her,” he says.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Michael B. Jordan (@michaelbjordan)

“She had a lot to bring to the table, I think, specifically for this role and what I could learn, what Kelly could learn from her. Some of her personal tragedy and experiences, she was so gracious to be able to lend to me, to lend to this project and being friends with her for some time and being cool with Nip, you know, just as delicately and as respectfully as I possibly could, asked her to be a part of this project and she was down to do it. So it was something I was really lucky to have her. So it was an awesome experience.”

Without Remorse is streaming now on Amazon Prime Video.

Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!

TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku. Download theGrio today!