Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Viola Davis with GMA…
On March 20, 2023, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Viola Davis sat down with Good Morning America in Times Square to discuss their film Air, Affleck is the director, as well as co-stars in the Amazon Studios film with Damon, and Davis. The film centers around the revolutionary negotiations between rookie Michael Jordan, and Nike Inc. over a shoe endorsement deal. That revolutionary deal would lead to the Air Jordan 1, that would evolve into a brand that would become a cultural icon in itself outside of the icon that Jordan will always be.
![Nike, Inc. is an American athletic footwear and apparel corporation headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, United States. It is the world's largest supplier of athletic shoes and apparel and a major manufacturer of sports equipment, with revenue in excess of US$46 billion in its fiscal year 2022. The company was founded on January 25, 1964, as "Blue Ribbon Sports", by Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight, and officially became Nike, Inc. on May 30, 1971. The company takes its name from Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. Nike markets its products under its own brand, as well as Nike Golf, Nike Pro, Nike+, Nike Blazers, Air Force 1, Nike Dunk, Air Max, Foamposite, Nike Skateboarding, Nike CR7,[9] and subsidiaries including Air Jordan and Converse (brand). Nike also owned Bauer Hockey from 1995 to 2008, and previously owned Cole Haan, Umbro, and Hurley International. In addition to manufacturing sportswear and equipment, the company operates retail stores under the Niketown name. Nike sponsors many high-profile athletes and sports teams around the world, with the highly recognized trademarks of "Just Do It" and the Swoosh logo. As of 2020, it employed 76,700 people worldwide. In 2020, the brand alone was valued in excess of $32 billion, making it the most valuable brand among sports businesses. Previously, in 2017, the Nike brand was valued at $29.6 billion. Nike ranked 89th in the 2018 Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations by total revenue.](https://i2.wp.com/moviestohistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Nike--1024x576.png?ssl=1)
In the interview with GMA anchors Robin Roberts, and Michael Strahan there is a discussion with Affleck about the choice to not ever show Michael Jordan onscreen, even though Davis is playing his mother, Deloris Jordan in Air. Affleck reflects that Jordan is so culturally iconic, he just doesn’t think he’s a good enough director to try to portray him onscreen and just choose to let him exist as he does in culture, he there all the time, but he’s never there, he just exists in the ether.
Affleck and Damon also discuss the film being the first film produced by them through their production company, and shared with Roberts why they think it took so long to start producing together with all their success mutually, and their very real decades long friendship. They speculate but eventually say that either way they are glad this was their first film together.
Davis discusses how even though she was newly reigned an “EGOT” before the interview, it is still daunting to her to play a character that is very real in life and tangible as she referred to it, especially since Michael Jordan requested Davis play his mother when he spoke with Affleck about making a film about him and his Air Jordan empire.
At the end of the interview, Affleck, Damon and Davis are gifted a pair of custom Air Jordan‘s from GMA with their last names inscribed on the back, Affleck is the most excited, being he is also a huge Air Jordan fan and the film was inspired by his love of the iconic shoes, and their namesake, “Air Jordan!”
You can watch the full GMA Interview with Affleck, Damon and Davis below:
Air is available now on Amazon Prime Video…
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