Directed and co-produced by Washington, A Journal for Jordan is a feature film based on the true story of First Sergeant Charles Monroe King (Michael B. Jordan), a soldier who’s deployed to Iraq and keeps a journal of love and advice for his infant son. Back home, senior New York Times editor Dana Canedy (Chante’ Adams) revisits the story of her life-altering relationship with King and his enduring devotion to their love story and their young child, played as a pre-teen by Christian. What sage advice did Christian learn from Washington on the set of A Journal for Jordan? “I learned pretty much how to live my life,” Christian exclusively tells Parade.com. “Mr. Washington taught me acting lessons on how to be true to the character [and] also gave me lessons on how to be a proper gentleman, how to be true to yourself, advised me not to lie to anyone, and not to lie to make yourself look better. You want people that will like you for who you are.” Keep reading for more of Parade.com’s exclusive interview with Jalon Christian, including what it’s like working with “The Rock” and how he balances his love of acting with his passion for football.
Were you familiar with Denzel Washington’s work before making this movie with him?
Most definitely. I love, love, love Mr. Washington’s work. My favorite movie of his is probably Training Day, but I just love him in general. Seeing the opportunity to work with him I knew I had to do my best. I do my best at every audition, but this one was extremely special to me.
How did your acting career start three years ago?
I started modeling back when I was in Boston. I loved movies when I was little and I said, “I want to do that.” I was really inspired by them and I knew that’s what I was supposed to do in my life.
What do you love about acting?
I love being able to tell other people’s stories and being able to make sure that I know every role is someone’s story, whether they’re telling it through their perspective or someone else’s perspective. I just want to make people feel properly represented.
If you couldn’t act, what would you do?
If I wasn’t acting, I would probably play sports, specifically, football.
Did you meet the real Jordan?
Yes, I met him at our premiere for the first time. He is so nice and much taller than me. He also has amazing energy.
Did he say anything about your performance?
If I remember correctly, he said that “it was really good” and he thanked me. That really made me quite overwhelmed, because going into this role I really, really, really wanted him to feel represented. With every role, we as actors are representing someone. But being this is a real person. I knew he was going to see it so I wanted to do my best for him.
Did you meet Jordan’s actual mom?
I met Miss Dana on the final day of shooting. She was just so nice and she’s so warm and caring. She just feels like a mom who really cares about her son.
There are a lot of emotional scenes in the movie, especially at the end. Were they difficult for you to do?
I would say it wasn’t tough to do. I looked at it more from a fun perspective, because I love acting. I just had to emotionally prepare for the role and that particular scene. I didn’t stress over it.
Did you learn anything about the history at that time, or any military history or 9/11?
Prior to filming this, I knew that the war had gone on. I also knew about 9/11, but I didn’t have much prior knowledge. It was really insightful to learn about while I was doing my research.
The movie is a lot about family and parents. Tell me about your own mom and could you do this career and have been in two major movies without her help?
I don’t think I could do anything without her help and support. She’s been my biggest support in my life. She’s the reason we moved to Los Angeles. I don’t think I could accomplish anything without her at my side.
So, your character is informed by his dad’s writing and legacy and memory, but he is raised by strong women. Are there many strong women in your life?
There are many, many, many strong women in my life. My whole life I’ve been raised by strong women. My mom, my grandmother, my aunt, and my manager, who is kind of like my life mentor. Most of my teachers who have been great role models for me are all strong women.
What was the most difficult aspect of the movie?
The most difficult aspect for me was when we wrapped up filming at the end. I felt like it was so hard because over the course of filming I created a close bond with everyone on-set. Every wrap is going to be hard for me in the future, but I just loved everyone there so much and I hope I get to work with them again.
The movie is about what kind of man his dad wanted Jordan to grow up to be. What kind of advice do you take from the role models in your life about what kind of person you want to become in the future?
One piece of advice I took growing up is that it is okay to cry. In my entire life, I have cried no matter what. I find it really empowering to be able to cry in front of other people because it can show that you’re also human. Everyone has emotions and you don’t have to hide them despite what society has said about boys and men crying. You can just feel free to do whatever makes you comfortable.
Is there a book or movie that has informed your life?
I would say a movie in my life that has kind of inspired me would probably be most Denzel Washington movies. I would say Fences is really inspirational to me because while the relationship portrayed wasn’t the healthiest, it showed that you don’t have to like your family, but you will always love them.
Without any spoilers, how did Black Adam, your DC Comics superhero movie with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, come about?
While working on A Journal for Jordan I had gotten a director’s session. I had an audition right before I left to go shoot, and then I had a director session while filming. Once I booked the movie, we filmed it in June and July 2021. That set was so much fun to be on because I’ve always admired superheroes, even as a little kid. It was really a dream come true being in a superhero movie.
What is The Rock like?
He is amazing. Not only is he always so positive, but he is also physically so huge. I was quite surprised when I met him in person for the first time. He’s also just so nice, loving, and caring.
Did he teach you anything about acting or any life lessons?
We didn’t have too much time to talk privately. We filmed and sometimes between takes we would have little jokes here and there. But, I learned from him to be patient and make sure to listen to everyone. You can hear what someone’s saying, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re listening. If you want people to listen to you then you should listen to them.
What was it like to be nominated for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Performance in a Motion Picture – clearly a big honor?
When I found out I was nominated, I was actually at basketball practice at my school. I was so shocked, I couldn’t speak for ten minutes straight. I’m still in a bit of shock and it’s just such an honor to be bestowed with this nomination for my first movie ever. I am just so grateful and happy to be nominated.
What advice do you have for young actors who might want to follow in your footsteps?
I would say to be disciplined. Even throughout all the auditions you have to keep moving forward and never look back.
Do you think of yourself as a role model?
I hope I can be a potential role model for people one day.
What kind of reaction have you gotten from family and school friends?
A bunch of my friends has been saying, ‘I’m so proud of you,’ It makes me feel happy to know that they saw the film. Yeah, I’ve been getting mostly positive responses.
Tell me a little bit about the premiere in New York.
It was so much fun to go to because it’s my first premiere ever. It was my first time back in New York since filming the movie. It was great to walk the red carpet with the cast and do all of the interviews.
What was it like filming in Washington, D.C.?
My mother and I went out to some restaurants, and we just walked around. When filming stopped, we became tourists and saw the memorials and the Capitol. We wanted to take it all in.
Are there any movies that you want to see now that you’re in the business, or that people recommended?
I’m going to try to watch as many Mr. Washington’s movies that I haven’t seen.
If I gave you a weekend to do whatever you want, where would you go? Who would you go with? And how would you spend your time?
I think I would probably go to a football game with Mr. Denzel Washington. We threw the football around and talked about various teams on-set.
After working so hard on the film, what is it like seeing this movie for the first time?
When I watched the movie for the first time, I was still in a bit of disbelief that it actually happened. I think it’s the second time I saw it where I was like,’ Woah, this is actually happening.’ I was proud of myself for the outcome of the film.
Why do you want my readers to see A Journal for Jordan?
I recommend A Journal for Jordan just because of the lovely message behind the film. You can love whoever you want to love, but you don’t have to love everyone. It’s a really great movie for families to watch together.
Do you think this movie could change people?
Yes, I do. I think it will show people that you can have members in your family that you want to be part of your tribe. You can have a really close friend that can be a cousin, a brother, a sister, a guardian in your life, anyone can be anything to you. Next, for more on Denzel Washington check out, 5 Things You Didn’t Know About Denzel Washington
