Michael B. Jordan knew Jamie Foxx would be "perfect" for the role of Walter McMillian in ‘Just Mercy’.
The 32-year-old actor starred as lawyer Bryan Stevenson in the forthcoming biographical drama film about the case of McMillian, a man imprisoned for murder, despite having evidence to prove otherwise, and revealed that he was the one who got his 52-year-old co-star involved in the project.
Speaking to Deadline, he said: "I called him and I thought he was perfect for it.
"It’s really hard to make movies in general, just everything has to line up perfectly, everybody’s schedule has to work out, and we were able to get Jamie."
The ‘Creed’ star went on praise Jamie’s portrayal of Ray Charles in 2004 biopic ‘Ray’, for which he won an Academy Award, and admitted he wanted to "remind people" who Jamie was as an actor.
He said: "I wanted to remind people who Jamie Foxx was. I think people forgot over the years, that this is the man who played Ray [Charles], who won that Academy Award, and this was the type of material that was going to show people that, and he took it seriously.
"He was a great scene partner. He helped me out a lot while shooting this film. I just can’t imagine anybody else taking on that role."
The ‘Black Panther’ star went on to speak about the casting of his Marvel co-star Brie Larson, who plays Eva Ansley in the film, and revealed that it was in fact director Destin Daniel Cretton who cast the star.
He said: "I didn’t make that Marvel call, she worked with our director, Destin Cretton, on Short Term 12, which was her first indie project that really put her on the map."
Michael B. Jordan on casting Jamie Foxx in Just Mercy
