Michael B. Jordan says he isn't afraid to 'call out' Hollywood and talks working with 'the GOAT' Denzel Washington
- Michael B. Jordan spoke to Insider about why he created his own production company.
- He wanted to use his "platform to speak out and against certain systemic issues in front of the camera."
- Jordan also spoke about working with Denzel Washington, saying it was a "lifetime masterclass."
Last summer, a Black Lives Matter protest stopped outside the buildings of Hollywood's four major talent agencies where Michael B. Jordan took to the microphone and turned his critical eye to the executive buildings around him.
During the rousing speech, the "Creed" star called upon Hollywood's major studios and agencies to overhaul their hiring practices and welcome more Black executives and talent into their executive rooms. Footage of the speech quickly went viral with fans hailing Jordan for holding his own industry to account.
"You get to a certain position where the world that we live in and the issues that are going on are no longer hidden, they are right in front of your face," Jordan told Insider during a recent interview with Insider.
"You've got to use your platform to be able to call out people that you call business partners, people that you do business with to be able to do what's right. What side of history do you want to stand on? I'm always kind of trying to take that into consideration as I make decisions."
The 33-year-old actor continued to explain that it is this executive-level imbalance in Hollywood that pushed him towards producing films. Jordan launched his own production label, Outlier Society, in 2016, a name borrowed from the 2008 self-help book by author Malcolm Gladwell.
"The idea of me creating a production company that could help tell stories that wasn't really getting a lot of attention, shining a light on issues, using my platform to speak out and against certain systemic issues in front of the camera and behind the camera, was something that at a young age I started to wonder about," he said.
"I've been blessed to work with a lot of veterans and extremely talented people over the years. Directors, showrunners, writers, actors that have passed on wisdom and gems. You have to control your own destiny, you have to create, you have to own things."
He added: "I'm not a big talker. I like to lead by example. And hopefully, we'll start to see some real change in the future."
Jordan's latest producer credit will be the upcoming Tom Clancy adaptation "Without Remorse," which he finished shooting just as the pandemic took hold. The actor, who was recently made the face of the International WELL Building Institute's Health-Safety Rating, said he spent much of 2020 like everyone else: attempting to adjust to quarantined life while trying to stay positive.
"You had to look at it the glass half full at some point with so much tragedy and negativity around what was going on," he said. "You try to find the silver lining in that to kind of get us through better times. So I'm glad that day is here."
The actor, who's also rumored to make his directorial debut on the upcoming third "Creed" movie, is now back in production on Denzel Washington's first directorial offering since 2016's acclaimed drama "Fences."
Jordan will star alongside "Roxanne, Roxanne" star Chante Adams in the movie, which is based on the memoirs of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Dana Canedy.
"Getting a chance to work with a mentor, the GOAT himself," Jordan said off Denzel, "to be on his production, a movie he's directing, I'm getting a lifetime masterclass lesson of acting and directing and producing."