Michael B. Jordan Says Since 'Fruitvale Station,' 'Every Historical Black Figure Has Come Across My Desk'

Actor Michael B. Jordan says that ever since starring in the 2013 drama “Fruitvale Station,” various projects centered on just about “every historical black figure has come across my desk.”

“As much as I would love to play all of them, I can’t,” he said Saturday at the 2019 Produced By conference, where he was speaking as part of the panel “Content With a Conscience: Social Impact Entertainment Across All Platforms.”

Jordan received rave reviews in 2009’s “Fruitvale Station,” the film based on real events leading to the death of Oscar Grant, a young black man who was killed by a police officer at the Fruitvale district station of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system in Oakland. RogertEbert.com called Jordan’s performance “brilliant.”

Also Read: 'Black Panther' Stars Chadwick Boseman and Michael B. Jordan Portraits (Exclusive Photos)

The “Creed II” actor was responding to a question posed by the moderator and founding partner of the Producers Guild of America Social Entertainment Impact Task Force, Kia Kiso, who asked how he and his production company, Outlier Society Productions, decide to split up the content slate between projects that try to make a social impact vs content made solely for entertainment.

“We try to balance that as much as you can, to run a company where it’s not its entire identity but, at the same time it’s as an important silo and something that we care about,” Jordan said.

Although Jordan didn’t give specifics on the projects coming across his desk or whether he planned to take on any of the roles, Alana Mayo, another panelist and president of development and production at Jordan’s Outlier Society, said the two would continue to make thought-provoking projects until a visible impact is made.

Also Read: 'Black Panther': Chadwick Boseman, Lupita Nyong'o Take Action in New Stills (Photos)

“We struggle with the happy, mindless entertainment that doesn’t feel like it has some sort of substance to it,” Mayo said. “And sometimes we just want to hit an issue that I think the both of us we will continue to make content about until we feel like we start to see the impact and the change in the real world.”

Other panelists that participated in the conversation included Bonnie Abaunza, founder of Abaunza Group; producer, writer, and director Scott Z. Burns; and Shivani Rawat, founder and CEO of ShivHans Pictures.

How Streaming Networks Invaded the Emmys: From 'House of Cards' to 'Handmaid's Tale' (Photos)

The streaming services are taking over the Emmys. Four years after "House of Cards" opened up the major categories to online content providers with three wins, Netflix, Hulu and Amazon have hit an all-time high with a combined total of 126 nominations. But how did we get here?
"House of Cards"
The political thriller became the first streaming-only original series to get nominated in major Emmy categories in 2013. It won three that year, including Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series and Outstanding Casting. The show has been nominated for 53 Emmys in total, six of which turned into major category wins.
Netflix
"Orange is the New Black"
Netflix seemed to be on a critical roll after "Orange is the New Black" debuted in 2014. It was nominated for 12 awards, including five in acting categories. Uzo Aduba, who plays Suzanne Warren, won for Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. She won a second time in 2015.
Netflix
"The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt"
The Tina Fey-produced comedy was called the "first great sitcom of the streaming era" and the Emmy voters seem to agree. Since premiering in 2015, the show has garnered 16 nominations.
Netflix
"Transparent"
"Transparent" was -- and still is -- Amazon Prime's flagship show. In 2015, following its debut season, it won an unprecedented five Emmy awards, including Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series for Jill Soloway and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy for Jeffrey Tambor. The show has been a continuous staple at the Emmys since.
"Grace and Frankie"
2015 was a big year for streaming services at the Emmys. "Grace and Frankie" was yet another Netflix series that earned nominations in major categories. The show has continued to be a consistent presence at the awards ever since -- specifically in acting categories.
Netflix
"Jessica Jones"
The Marvel Netflix show became the first of the Defenders universe to get an Emmy win, for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music.
Netflix/Marvel
"Master of None"
The big addition at the 2016 Emmys was the Aziz Ansari-led comedy "Master of None." The Netflix series earned Ansari nominations for acting, writing and directing -- and a win for writing with his colleague Alan Yang. He'll get another shot in 2017 with more nominations in the same categories, including Outstanding Comedy Series.
TheWrap
"Stranger Things"
2017 is a huge year for Netflix, with 91 nominations for the streaming giant overall. And sleeper hit "Stranger Things,"created by relative newcomers Matt and Ross Duffer, earned a staggering 18 of them, including Outstanding Drama Series. For a genre show released with little marketing, this is quite a feat.
Netflix
"The Crown"
The hugely popular (and acclaimed) period drama about the life of Queen Elizabeth II earned Netflix five Emmy nominations this year.
Netflix
"Handmaid's Tale"
In 2017, Hulu established itself as a serious original programming contender with this adaptation of Margaret Atwood's seminal novel. The highly acclaimed series not only became arguably the defining political commentary of the early Trump-Era, it also went on to make history for Hulu with 13 nominations.
Hulu
"The Beatles: Eight Days a Week"
Hulu didn't stop with "The Handmaid's Tale." This documentary about the Beatles earned five nominations.
Getty Images
"Black Mirror"
The anthology series didn't qualify for the main Emmys until the third season arrived on Netflix. It got three nominations in 2017, including two for the episode "San Junipero" -- which was nominated for Outstanding Television Movie, despite being a part of an anthology.
Netflix

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Netflix, Hulu and Amazon have a combined 126 nominations this year

The streaming services are taking over the Emmys. Four years after "House of Cards" opened up the major categories to online content providers with three wins, Netflix, Hulu and Amazon have hit an all-time high with a combined total of 126 nominations. But how did we get here?

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How Streaming Networks Invaded the Emmys: From 'House of Cards' to 'Handmaid's Tale' (Photos)

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