Michael B. Jordan looking suave against the desert backdrop (Photo: Coach)
In Black Panther, Michael B. Jordan’s character, Killmonger, delivered a line with a guttural oomph. “Is this your king?” the actor roared. The 32-year-old has been delivering killer performances, first with Creed in 2015, the spin-off and sequel of the Rocky film series, and the Oscar-nominated Marvel supehero blockbuster last year.
Now, he’s dabbling in fashion. As part of Coach’s SS19 campaign, B. Jordan stars in a new short film directed by another champion of African American film, Spike Lee, who just won Best Adapted Screenplay for BlacKkKlansman at the Academy Awards a few days ago. The 90-second clip titled Words Matter is part of B. Jordan’s work with Coach as the brand’s global face for menswear.
The ad, set in a dusty landscape, is meant to spread positivity. Clad in a biker-style leather designed by Coach’s creative director Stuart Vevers, Jordan is seen riding a motorbike in the Californian desert and discovering a series of rocks with words like “hatred”, ‘bigotry” and “lies” written on them. But he tosses them aside, ventures a little further and replaces the rocks with new ones, this time emblazoned with words like “truth” and “love”.
B. Jordan has described working with Lee for the first time as “an inspirational experience”.
“Spike’s art has moved the cultural dial for decades,” Jordan said. “I’m proud of the powerful messaging of this film and to be working alongside a brand that cares about putting that narrative into the world as much as I do.”
Spike Lee made headlines recently with his controversial and politically-charged acceptance speech, which drew the ire of US president Donald Trump, who accuses the filmmaker of “racist hit on your president”.
Watch the Coach SS19 campagin film below:
