Ben Affleck shares what he loved most about directing “Air,” the Amazon Studios-produced story of Nike’s first shoe deal with Michael Jordan, and why he’d rather do original stories instead of his own Batman movie. Affleck’s “Air” co-star Chris Tucker also opened up to Narcity’s Josh Elliott about playing Howard White, whom he’s friends with in real life.
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00:00 What captivates me when I watch this movie is the performances,
00:02 the things these people say to each other,
00:04 how they feel, what it makes me feel.
00:05 And I believe it, and I know it's not real.
00:09 Hi, guys. How are you?
00:10 -Hey, Josh. How are you? -Hi, Josh.
00:12 I'm good. Ben, listen, I want to start with you.
00:15 I feel like in another universe,
00:16 you could be directing Batman movies and cashing checks,
00:18 but here you are with this movie,
00:20 making art with your friends.
00:22 What made this movie the right choice,
00:23 the right thing to fight for for you?
00:25 I mean, it's exactly what you described.
00:27 It's making something I care about with people I love and admire,
00:30 and that's such a better life for me
00:33 because these are the kinds of movies I care about.
00:35 I think Batman's great,
00:36 and the people who do that and direct that movie should love it
00:39 and have joy in it.
00:40 And this is what I love,
00:42 and what I'm dedicated to at this time
00:44 is really trying to create worth and value
00:48 for people who are creative and value those people
00:50 who bring us these technicians and artists.
00:52 And I think also I want to be able to try
00:57 to make the kind of movies that I really like.
00:59 Stories about people that are original stories
01:01 that is sometimes like what captivates me
01:04 when I watch this movie is the performances,
01:06 the things these people say to each other
01:07 and how they feel, what it makes me feel.
01:09 And I believe it, and I know it's not real.
01:12 So there's something magical about that.
01:14 Movies at their best, you know, I watched,
01:17 I mean, it's a different kind of movie,
01:18 but I watched "To Leslie" recently,
01:20 and I thought, like, this is a beautiful movie.
01:22 It can make me feel something
01:24 and feel that, you know, life has meaning.
01:27 And it's okay to have fun watching a movie.
01:29 It's okay to respect the audiences that are having fun.
01:32 And you don't also have to mean
01:33 that you condescend to the audience and dumb it down.
01:37 I wanted it to be smart and engrossing and surprising
01:39 and funny and provocative and interesting
01:42 and ultimately really rewarding and inspiring.
01:44 - I'm willing to bet my career on Michael Jordan.
01:47 - Come on, man.
01:48 - You ask me what I do here, this is what I do.
01:51 I find you players, and I [bleep] feel it this time.
01:55 Okay, it's risky.
01:56 When you were selling sneakers out of the back
01:58 of your Plymouth, that was risky.
01:59 It took balls.
02:00 I mean, that's why we're all here.
02:01 Don't change that now.
02:04 - Well, you definitely nailed it.
02:05 Like, it's a lot of fun.
02:07 And Chris, I got to ask you,
02:08 I know you brought something to the table,
02:10 not just in terms of performance,
02:11 but script and scenes.
02:13 What were you most proud of from this movie?
02:16 - You know what?
02:18 That part, you know, just being able to collaborate
02:21 with Ben and Matt and to bring a level to this character.
02:27 And I knew Howard White, and when I found out
02:30 about the role, it just all made sense to do it, you know?
02:33 These are the type of roles that I wait for,
02:35 you know, that I have a lot of freedom
02:38 and work with great, smart director, producers,
02:40 writers, and, you know, and do a lot of research.
02:44 And Howard was so gracious.
02:47 My friend Howard White, he had me interviewed.
02:50 I interviewed all his childhood friends
02:52 up until Charles Barkley, coaches and teachers,
02:56 and that he's still in touch with.
02:58 That's how much of a likable person he is.
03:01 He's still talking to these people.
03:03 A lot of people don't remember their high school teachers.
03:07 And I was talking to them, finding out his characters,
03:11 his mom's things his mom used to say to him.
03:14 Like, he got in trouble one time
03:15 by walking past this old man in his neighborhood,
03:18 and his mom said, "Even a dog can wag his tail
03:21 when he walks by somebody, so don't you ever do that again."
03:24 And he was telling me the lessons that his mom's taught him.
03:26 So I had a lot of -- My mom's like that, too,
03:29 so a lot of similarities.
03:31 So it was a lot of fun to tap into somebody
03:33 who you can pull from, you know, from yourself.
03:37 -Totally. It was a lot of fun to watch.
03:39 Thanks so much, gentlemen, and have a good one.
03:41 -Thank you, man. You, too. Thank you.
03:43 [MUSIC PLAYING]