Even being one of the greatest actresses of her generation couldn’t have prepared Viola Davis for ‘Air.‘ The EGOT winner was personally hand-picked by Michael Jordan to play his mother, Delores Jordan, in Ben Affleck’s upcoming sports drama ‘Air.’ She spoke to Entertainment Tonight about this surreal moment.
Viola Davis’ initial excitement turned into a more lasting moment of panic. She realized the presence of Deloris in Michael’s life, and she shaped his sports career. The more she learned about Deloris, her admiration grew for this extraordinary woman.
Viola Davis Reacts To Being Cast As Deloris Jordan
Viola David told Entertainment Tonight what it was like being Michael Jordan’s definite choice for Deloris Jordan. The EGOT winner said, “You know, you’re flattered at first and then the next second is pressure, [Pressure] to play the woman who basically is the orchestrator of this great athlete’s life, you know?”
As Viola Davis started her research, her admiration for Deloris grew in leaps and bounds. She praised Deloris, saying, “Obviously she was so influential and then I’m looking at videos of her and if you’ve ever seen videos of Deloris Jordan, she’s extraordinary, she really is. Because she’s one of those, you know, she’s one of those people where you’re like, ‘Where did this talent come from? Where did this vision come from?‘”
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How Did Viola Davis Get Cast In ‘Air’?
Michael Jordan was inflexible about one condition – for Viola Davis to play his mother in the movie. Director and co-writer Ben Affleck talked to The Hollywood Reporter about Michael Jordan having the only meaningful say in casting Viola Davis for ‘Air.’ Ben Affleck said yes, but was unsure of her availability. He respectfully approached her for the part, saying she should take all the time she needed to decide.
Ben Affleck told the outlet, “There’s one line for the mother character in the movie at this point — and I’m thinking, “Oh my God, he wants me to offer this to Viola Davis. How am I going to offer Viola Davis a movie with one line? That’s not going to happen.” But he was like, “That’s my mom.” He was dead serious. “Viola Davis, that’s my mom.” And that was it. Discussion was over. However it happened, it wasn’t his problem, but it was going to f*****g happen. And I was like, “OK, Mike.”
‘Air‘ is coming to theatres on April 5, 2023.
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