Ben Affleck surprised fans when he spoke almost flawless Spanish when promoting his new film, Air.
“What’s important to understand is that this isn’t about Michael Jordan’s story; he doesn’t even appear in the movie,” the 50-year-old told Cadena SER, a radio station based in Spain. “They would immediately think, ‘This is all bullshit. This movie is bullshit. I don’t believe any of this,’” Affleck went on. “And they would destroy it completely,” he continued, per Page Six.
He said that Jordan is “so big, so important, so magnificent that there’s not an actor in the world who could be cast to play him whom the audience would believe.”
Affleck—who both is the director and played Phil Knight—needed Jordan’s blessing before he started working on the film. The pair spoke and Affleck asked Jordan, “‘What are the most important parts to you about this story?”
He told Affleck, “Character.” He also said that it was “important” that Viola Davis plays his mom, Deloris Jordan, to which Affleck responded, “Of course.”
The movie chronicles the story of how Nike and Michael Jordan both became household names. In order to save Nike, Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) pitches Jordan as the face of a new Nike basketball shoe. Jordan was a rookie at the time, and Knight (Affleck) is skeptical of the move but acquiesces and the company makes history.
