Ben Affleck reveals Michael Jordan’s demands for ‘Air’

According to Ben Affleck, Michael Jordan played a pivotal role in getting his movie ‘Air’ off the ground. However, Jordan’s influence came with a few demands, which included hiring Viola Davis.

‘Air’ marks the sixth film to be directed by Affleck. He’s previously directed films like ‘Gone Baby Gone’, ‘The Town’ and ‘Argo’, which went on to receive the Academy Award for Best Picture.

“I had a chance to sit down with Michael Jordan, because I just wasn’t going to make this movie without asking him, ‘What matters to you?’ Interestingly, and tellingly, he had a few things that mattered,” Affleck said at the premiere.

“One of them was that Howard White needed to be in the movie,” he continued. “I got the script and then had the chance again to talk to Michael.”

Recruiting Viola Davis

‘Air’ tells the story of Sonny Vaccaro, a Nike salesman, who signs then-basketball rookie Michael Jordan in a deal that changed the world of sports and contemporary culture.

“Michael Jordan, for those of you who don’t know, is one of the most intimidating, impressive men you’ll ever meet in your life,” Affleck went on. “He told me about his father.

“And then he talked about his mother. It was the first time I saw this look cross his face. It was a look of reverence, of awe, of love, and gratitude, and innocence.

“He said, ‘None of this would have ever happened without my mother.’ I said, ‘Who would you like to play your mom?’ He said, ‘Well, it has to be Viola Davis’.

“Viola Davis is the best actor I’ve seen. This is a hard business. It’s hard to know if you’re successful. It’s hard to know if you’ve accomplished something.

“But honest to God, I always felt that if I was a director one day, and I had Viola Davis in a movie, that would really be something. That would mean the world to me and it does.”

Praise for ‘Air’

The film stars Affleck, Davis, Matt Damon, Jason Bateman, Marlon Wayans, Chris Tucker and Chris Messina.

‘Air’ premiered at the South by Southwest film festival in Austin, Texas to a generally positive reception as Affleck and fellow cast members received a standing ovation.