After receiving backlashes for his casting as Johnny Storm, Jordan responded through an open letter, asking the critics to embrace diversity.
- May 23, 2015
AceShowbiz - Michael B. Jordan finally opened up in an open letter in Entertainment Weekly about the backlash he experienced on the internet after he was announced as Johnny Storm in the upcoming "The Fantastic Four". On the letter, the 28-year-old actor also responded to the criticisms of his version of the human torch.
Jordan checked on the internet to see netizens' responses to his casting as Johnny Storm, who was originally written to be blond with blue eyes, and found some comments like "A black guy? I don't like it. They must be doing it because Obama's president" and "It's not true to the comic."
"It used to bother me, but it doesn't anymore," Jordan wrote. "I can see everybody's perspective, and I know I can't ask the audience to forget 50 years of comic books. But the world is a little more diverse in 2015 than when the Fantastic Four comic first came out in 1961."
He was also aware that some people might see his casting as "political correctness or an attempt to meet a racial quota, or as part of the year of 'Black Film.' " However, he suggested that people see it as "a creative choice by the director, Josh Trank, who is in an interracial relationship himself - a reflection of what a modern family looks like today."
The "Friday Night Lights" actor then explained the core value the movie wanted to deliver. He explained, "This is a family movie about four friends - two of whom are myself and Kate Mara as my adopted sister - who are brought together by a series of unfortunate events to create unity and a team. That's the message of the movie, if people can just allow themselves to see it."
Jordan continued his letter to express his vision that people would not see each other in terms of race. "Maybe, if I set an example, Hollywood will start considering more people of color in other prominent roles, and maybe we can reach the people who are stuck in the mindset that 'it has to be true to the comic book.' Or maybe we have to reach past them," he added.
On the final note, he urged the critics to observe their surrounding and embrace diversity. He said, "To the trolls on the Internet, I want to say: Get your head out of the computer. Go outside and walk around. Look at the people walking next to you. Look at your friends' friends and who they're interacting with. And just understand this is the world we live in. It's okay to like it."
"The Fantastic Four" is a superhero film based on Marvel's comics of the same title. It tells a story about a superhero team which consists of four people with different special abilities. They get their special abilities after surviving a tragedy. In addition to Michael B. Jordan, the cast consists of Miles Teller as Reed Richards, Kate Mara as Susan Storm and Jamie Bell as Ben Grimm.
The reboot to 2005's "Fantastic Four" will be released in the U.S. on August 7. A newly released trailer hints at something different in the new movie from the 2005 version. While the 2005 version showed the foursome obtaining their superhero powers after going to space and suffering from cosmic blast, the recent trailer showed them being teleported to a volcanic-like place, which was erupting, before they get their new abilities.
