{"id":24525,"date":"2023-03-28T11:30:35","date_gmt":"2023-03-28T15:30:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/?p=24525"},"modified":"2023-03-31T14:05:03","modified_gmt":"2023-03-31T18:05:03","slug":"ben-affleck-shares-michael-jordans-request-for-air","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2023\/03\/ben-affleck-shares-michael-jordans-request-for-air.html","title":{"rendered":"Ben Affleck Shares Michael Jordan’s Request For “Air”"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Director Ben Affleck revealed that among basketball legend Michael Jordan\u2019s numerous requests for the movie \u201cAir,\u201d one of them was Viola Davis had to play his mother. Affleck revealed during the film\u2019s premiere at the South by Southwest Film & TV Festival in Austin, Texas, \u201cMichael Jordan said, \u2018None of this would have ever happened without my mother.\u2019 I said, \u2018Who would you like to play your mom?\u2019 He said, \u2018Well, it has to be Viola Davis.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Affleck said, \u201cThat\u2019s like saying, \u2018Can I play basketball on your court?’ \u2018Yeah, if you get Michael Jordan.\u2019 \u201cViola Davis is the best actor I\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d Affleck said if he ever became a director after his decades-long acting career, he would want to cast Davis in one of his movies, adding, \u201cThat would really be something. That would mean the world to me. And it does.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he wrapped his comments at the premiere before bringing Davis onstage, Affleck said, \u201cThis is the best night of my professional life, and I want to welcome the best actor in the world.\u201d Affleck also said that Jordan wanted Howard White, vice president of the Jordan brand, to be included in the movie and saw that as an opportunity to work with Chris Tucker, whom he had wanted to work with for years.<\/p>\n

Audiences got their first looks at the film shortly after the cast\u2019s onstage appearances.\u00a0\u201cAir,\u201d directed by Affleck, stars Matt Damon as Sonny Vaccaro, the Nike employee who convinced Jordan, played by Damian Young, to sign the deal that would eventually lead to creating the iconic Air Jordan shoe line.<\/p>\n

Affleck also stars in\u00a0the film\u00a0alongside Davis, Jason Bateman, Marlon Wayans, Chris Tucker and others. The story is a testament to Davis\u2019 pedigree as an actress (and, frankly, Jordan\u2019s good taste in movies). But many fans wondered how Davis reacted to having arguably the greatest athlete of all time request that she plays his mother.<\/p>\n