‘Air’: Ben Affleck Revealed Michael Jordan Made Him Cast Chris Tucker in $30M Movie
Ben Affleck has seamlessly fit into the part of the Dark Knight. The Good Will Hunting star has made his mark felt in the industry with his acting. But times have changed. This is a new age and Affleck is ready for it. And to keep up with the times, he’s taken on a new role – he is putting on the shoes of a director. Having started his directorial career with Gone Baby Gone in 2007, his status as a director is not where he would want it to be. But his latest movie, Air, gives him just the opportunity to do so.
A meeting that would shape Air
Air had been in the works for the past few years. The script had been written by 2021. Once it was known that the movie had been picked up by Amazon Studios, everyone knew that the shooting would start soon. But before all that, there was one critical task that JLo’s husband had to attend to.
Ben Affleck had to speak to Michael Jordan before he proceeded, knowing what were his expectations. That meeting went on to shape how the movie turned out to be.
Ben Affleck got a list of demands from His Airness himself
Introducing the movie at its South By Southwest premiere, the Deep Water star recollected how his meeting with ‘Air Jordan’ went down. Affleck said,
“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?’”
MJ had a bag of expectations with some mattering more than others. One of them was the inclusion of Howard White in the film. MJ was adamant that the Jordan Vice President had to be there in the project. And that gave the 50-year-old director the perfect idea.
Ben Affleck got the chance to work with Chris Tucker
When the Justice League star heard that Howard White had to be there in the film, he knew very well who would go on to play the role. It was Chris Tucker of Rush Hour fame. The Gone Girl star immediately knew that as he had wanted to work with the 51-year-old for a long time.
His Airness didn’t stop there though. He also wanted to have Viola Davis cast as his mother. Jordan said, “None of this would have ever happened without my mother.” When asked ‘Who would you like to play your mom?’ he said, ‘Well, it has to be Viola Davis.”
Both his opinions were taken into consideration. Air has been running in theatres since March 18, 2023.
Source: Variety
