Michael B. Jordan Discusses THE FANTASTIC FOUR 'Human Torch' Suit And Casting Backlash
Hit the jump and check out what Michael B. Jordan says about the Marvel First Family 2015 reboot, the controversy surrounding his casting, and his reaction suiting up as Human Torch for the first time
In a recent interview with the New York Daily News, rising star Michael B. Jordan discussed his role as Johnny Storm, aka Human Torch, in The Fantastic Four movie, suiting up for the first time, among other things. About the negative response to him playing the originally-white character, the Chronicle actor doesn't think about it. "Can't make everybody happy," he said. "I don't think anything about it." What he does think about, on the other hand, is how major it is to be a part of the rebooted Fox/Marvel franchise. "I loved comic books; Japanese animation, cartoons," he said. "So to be able to play a character that I always fantasized about and always wanted to be -- to have powers and stuff like that -- and to be a part of Marvel's family, it's a huge deal for me. I geek out about it." About suiting as the Human Torch for the first time, Jordan admits, "I was like, 'This is a lot tighter than I expected.'" On his preparation for the role, Michael B. Jordan says, "I've known about this character and playing this role for almost two and a half years now. So when I get all these new questions about how I'm feeling about it, I'm like, 'You know, I'm feeling pretty good about it.'" He then went on to discuss Johnny Storm's race-change. "It's something that we kind of willed to happen, which was really important to me and Josh [Trank]," he said of The Fantastic Four director. "We're lucky we had a studio behind us that really supported our ambition and our want for change. Now we have something really epic."
Beyond The Fantastic Four, Michael B. Jordan says he would someday like to play a character that would test his creative skills, and that he idolizes the late Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight. "I've always been attracted to characters that are very complicated or complex," he said. "I think Heath Ledger did such a great job with The Joker and the way he performed it. How it was so crazy and psychotic, but you kind of understood it. I want to step in those shoes and play a role like that." Head to the New York Daily News for the full interview.
Directed by Josh Trank, The Fantastic Four stars Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara, and Jamie Bell with Reg E. Cathey, and the film is scheduled for release on August 7, 2015.