'David Makes Man' explores the power of a teen's imagination
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — When Michael B. Jordan first met with "Moonlight" writer Tarell Alvin McCraney, the two surprisingly discovered through an emotional conversation that both had more in common than they realized.
McCraney might jokingly attest, but Jordan said during a recent interview that their lengthy talk years ago about creating a new television project "ended in tears." That's when the "Creed" and "Black Panther" star knew he wanted to work with McCraney to develop their drama series "David Makes Man," which airs Wednesdays on Oprah Winfrey's OWN.
"It was the first time honestly that I actually heard my own internal thoughts through somebody else," said Jordan, who is a co-executive producer of the series through his Outlier Society Productions company along with Winfrey.
"You know like the things that he experienced growing up — family, throughout his community, the choices, the mental struggle of trying to make the right decision, trying to make the right choices, and trying to burden himself with being the man in the family taking care of everybody," he continued. "Trying to fix everything for everyone and putting yourself last. To actually hear somebody else say it, I'm like 'Wow, OK.' I'm not the only person that thinks like that or feels that way."
"David Makes Man" is partially based on McCraney's upbringing. The series follows 14-year-old David, played by Akili McDowell, who tries to juggle relationships between his magnet school friends and drug dealers in his South Florida impoverished neighborhood.
McCraney said he felt more confident about the project after meeting with Jordan.
"MBJ and I didn't grow up in the same environment and yet we were burdened with some of the same intersections," said McCraney, who won an Academy Award for co-writing "Moonlight," an adaption of his play "Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue."
"That means that there are more people around the world who indeed need space at the hearth," he added.