The Knockturnal was on the scene for the NYC premiere of A Journal For Jordan.
Denzel Washington directs this heartfelt film based on the true story by Dana Canedy, about deployed soldier 1st Sgt. Charles Monroe King and his journal filled with advice to his young song Jordan.
Denzel, Michael B. Jordan, Canedy and the cast stepped out on the red carpet ahead of the film’s release on Christmas day.
Michael B. Jordan, who plays 1st Sgt. Charles Monroe King, spoke about working under Denzel and the advice he gave as Jordan prepares to direct his first film, Creed III.
“I think it was a blessing that I got the opportunity to work with him right before I went to go direct mine,” Michael said of Denzel. “He’s really big on rehearsal, he comes from theater, so prep is really important to him. So for me I took my prep process really seriously on Creed III.
” AS an actor I got to see the GOAT’s process and how he breaks down character. So now I got a few new things in my playbook that I can kind of use when I need in the future.”
Denzel said of casting, “We knew we loved Michael B. going all the way back to Fruitvale, that’s when he first came on my radar and here we are.”
Denzel had a message for the young people who want to get into the world of film and television.
“Go to school. Get your college degree. It’s one thing to make money it’s another to know how to count it,” he said.
Dana Canedy said Sgt Charles would be so proud to see how his story has been created into a book and then film, joking that his nickname for her was “crazy woman.”
“He’d say, ‘You crazy woman, you did what?!'” Dana said.
Screenwriter Virgil Williams admitted that when he first read this story, he thought it was too sad to take on. But after his wife read the book, she pressed him to read it again through a new lens. It was then that he discovered there was a lot of love and joy in the story.
“Some of [my projects] are special – I feel like I’m sort of called to do. Some of them I get paid to do. But this one I feel like I got chosen. And I’m incredibly humbled and ridiculously honored to be a small part of it,” Virgil said.
A Journal For Jordan premieres in select theaters on Christmas Day.
