The upcoming sequel Creed III, which is also the directorial debut of the film’s star Michael B. Jordan, finds Adonis Creed balancing his career and family, alongside Bianca (Tessa Thompson) and their daughter. But all of that gets shaken up when childhood friend and former boxing prodigy Damian (Jonathan Majors) is released after a long prison sentence and is looking to get into the ring to take the crown.

After getting a preview of the trailer, Collider, along with various other media outlets, took part in a press conference with Jordan about why now was the right time for him to take the helm as director, the advice he got from previous Creed director Ryan Coogler, learning to juggle everything that goes into making a film that you’re also starring in, why inclusion and accessibility is so important, having Thompson and Majors by his side throughout this process, what he was most nervous about, the unexpected challenges, and wanting to work towards being a difference maker.

Question: What made you decide to have Creed III be your directorial debut? Why was now the right time?

MICHAEL B. JORDAN: For me, it was the perfect time. Growing up on set, in the industry, over 20 years, and starting out doing background work and extra work and just seeing the sets evolve and seeing everybody’s job and seeing how a real production took place, I finally got to this place in my career where I wanted to tell a story and not just be in front of the camera to execute somebody else’s vision. It’s a character that I’ve played twice before. It’s been seven or eight years living with this guy. I’m telling a story of where I believe Adonis is at, and also at 35 years old, I had a lot to say, as a young man and as a young Black man, with my life experiences. I could actually share a piece of myself with the world, through these characters and through this story. So, I just felt like it was the right time. I was talking to Ryan Coogler, back when we were doing Creed I, and he was like, “It’s never the right time. You’ve just gotta jump in the deep end and go for it.” He gave me a lot of encouragement. So, I just felt like it was the right time for me.

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You’ve been thinking about being behind the camera for a while. This wasn’t something that you just woke up one day and decided to do on a whim.

JORDAN: Yeah. I’ve been blessed to work with a lot of incredible directors, and having a lot of guidance and mentors and people that I look up to, who inspired me to be on that storytelling level. I’ve been quietly watching and putting together these folders of things that I wanna try, for quite some time now. I was just waiting for the right opportunity to step up and get behind the camera. And this was the one for me.

Being part of the Rocky franchise, the Creed films are big in scope, story and production. How did you manage to steer such a large ship with a huge crew, so many background actors, and a team of designers and crew?

JORDAN: For me, it was the sum of all things combined. My experience being on set, since I was a kid, is having a shorthand with a lot of the crew that have been around throughout my movie career. And I had a clear vision for the story that I wanted to tell, because I’ve been marinating on it and developing it for such a long time. It was the most challenging thing that I’ve ever done, by far. Daily, I was pushing myself to new limits, learning how to communicate and get what’s in your head out, and have other people pick up on that passion and enthusiasm, so that they want to execute your vision to the best of their ability. That’s not an easy task to do. It just felt that everything was lining up perfectly for this opportunity for me.

Why was inclusion and accessibility an important theme for you, with this film?

JORDAN: Naturally, it was the right evolution of the Creed family. Dealing with ASL and Bianca’s character, since Creed I, and then having that evolve into her becoming a mother and the possibility of our child being hard of hearing, and then ultimately ending up being deaf, and seeing how that family evolves and grows, and how they deal with that obstacle and turn it into a superpower. It’s a community of people that doesn’t really get representation as much as they should, and we used this as opportunity to do that. Mila Davis-Kent is amazing. She’s deaf and learning ASL, and normalizing it was a really big deal for us. Hopefully, in watching this movie, you feel that. We’re not trying to highlight it in a way where there’s sympathy there. We’re just normalizing it, and that was something that was really important for us to do throughout the story. We had incredible interpreters and resources that we leaned on, to make sure we got it right. It was something that we took very seriously on this movie.

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What are some of the key themes that you’re threading throughout this film that you can share?

JORDAN: Thematically, for us, family is always the core – family and heart. There’s a bit of facing your past and finding out who you really are. That’s something that we address in this movie. It’s a homecoming. Remembering where you come from is really important in this. Sometimes settling debts and being accountable for your actions is something that we wanted to look at. This movie has a lot of me in it, and hopefully a lot of other people, as well. I wanted to create a story where everybody felt like they could relate to something in this movie. That’s a few of the themes that we have going on in this movie.

How challenging was it for you to direct yourself while also acting?

JORDAN: It’s torture, but at the same time, it’s so much fun. It was the challenge of accomplishing it all, with the multitasking nature of developing the story, trying to stay in shape, and giving all the departments what they individually needed, to go do their job. And then, there was my process, as well. It’s really hard to put into words. Every day was a struggle, but honestly, it was the team of people that I had around me that got me through it. You’ve really gotta surround yourself with the right help, so that you can focus on the things you need to focus on. Sometimes that’s doing two things at one time, or three things at one time. It’s just part of the job. Once you step behind the camera, the undertaking that it is, from the outside looking in, it’s tough.

What was it like to have Tessa Thompson come back, and to add Jonathan Majors to the mix?

JORDAN: First of all, Jonathan Majors is incredible. We’re very blessed and lucky to have him be a part of this story. For me, as a director, just to have that running mate and partner made all the difference in the world. He’s extremely talented. The world is finding out, daily, how incredible this man is and the work that he does is finally getting the props that it’s due. Jonathan was incredible. He showed up every day, ready to go to war and ready to work. We bonded in a way that I’ve never had an opportunity to do, and it was my first time exploring that relationship between director and actor. I really understand that now. It’s a bond that’ll last forever. I was just really lucky to have that gentleman by my side while I was going through this process. It was extremely helpful. You’ll find out more about the character of Damian, who’s definitely a pivotal person and a pillar in Adonis’ life, that comes back around and needs to get addressed. And then, there’s the incredible Tessa Thompson, who I’ve been so lucky to work with, over the years. She’s a rock. Trust is a huge thing, and having earned each other’s trust in scenes together and now having her trust me as a storyteller, was the biggest compliment that she’s given me, thus far. The encouragement and confidence that I had with my cast helped me to go out and do things that seemed impossible or really tough. Knowing that I got that support in front of the camera and knowing they were giving me the space to do all the other things that a director has to do, and they still showed up every day, giving 110%, I’m blessed.

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Image via Warner Bros.

How has the relationship between Adonis and Bianca evolved, from Creed II to Creed III?

JORDAN: Without giving anything away and talking about it too much, I feel like there’s a time when people in a relationship have to make choices that are selfish, and not selfish in a bad way, but just decisions for yourself versus decisions for your family. How do you compromise? Where’s the middle ground? How do two individuals who are successful by themselves, be successful together? That’s something that we touch on a bit, in our support for one another. What does that look like? Who’s carrying the weight when, within the relationship? That was something we wanted to touch on. Bianca is a strong woman and an incredible mother and a great wife. That’s how they’ve evolved.

What made you include Mexican boxer Canelo Álvarez in this film?

JORDAN: We just looked back at the history of boxing. The Mexican culture is such a pillar within the sport of boxing, and it felt like there wasn’t really a lot of representation throughout the films, in that type of way. It just didn’t seem like the reality that I lived in, so I wanted to incorporate the Mexican culture into this film. I just felt that there was a lack of representation that didn’t seem truthful and honest to the sport of boxing, so I wanted to put that in there.

What were you most nervous about, with this third installment?

JORDAN: I was most nervous because I was pulling a lot from my own personal experience, and other people that I’m close to. I was nervous about connecting with people. I was in my own head. You’re creating and developing things, and you’re working with the writer, and you wonder what people will think. But telling the truth and being honest in the storytelling is one of the greatest gifts that you can have. We just continued to tell the truth. That was something that I was nervous about. But once we started filming and got into it, everything else fell to the side.

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Image Via Warner Bros.

There’s a bit of a time jump with this story. Why did you want to shift Adonis’ story forward like that?

JORDAN: It was important to get to a pivotal point with Adonis and Bianca. We’ve seen them fall in love. We’ve seen them come together and create life in a family together. I wanted to get to the next stage of the next crossroads for them, with the next level of life and experience as young adults, dealing with professional career and family, and the choices that come along with that. It’s not specific, but it’s a reflection of where I was in my life, professionally and personally. I had a lot to say around that, so I figured we’d progress things there.

What were some of the unexpected challenges with doing your directorial debut?

JORDAN: Holding on for dear life? No. Coming out of lockdown and quarantine, which is when a lot of the pre-production and prep was going on, there was a lot of stuff going on in the world and this was my escape. A lot of times, diving into this world and creating this story, mentally for me, there was nothing I could do to prepare myself for this. Anything I thought I was doing, it was not enough. Meditation was really important for me. Talking to a lot of directors that have been through this really gave me as close of an idea as what the experience was gonna be, without having gone through it myself. I leaned on those conversations and that advice. I had just finished working with Denzel [Washington], right before this project. I had that wisdom and support, which really helped me out a lot during prep. Mentally, for me, it was just taking it a day at a time, but at the same time, always planning, 10 steps ahead. It was about whatever you can do in the moment to feel better and help cope, and also prepare yourself for the day ahead and the weeks head. That’s what I did.

What did you learn about the art of the training montage, now that you’ve directed some?

JORDAN: Get any and everything you can – every push up and every speed bag moment. No. With the montage, it’s about, what are the stakes? Has your character left the montage better than he was, when he first started? I think that’s a good one to stick to.

Creed has created a cultural shift in inclusivity within the Rocky franchise. How important is it for the film to continue growing these positive Black themes on mental health, hearing impairment, and the structure of the Black family?

JORDAN: I think it’s extremely important. With not a lot of examples of those things out there, and this being a movie that has all of those in one, it’s very important for this franchise to continue to put those themes in the forefront and normalize them in a way that we can actually do something about it. You can actually think on it and dwell on it, and then hopefully be a difference maker. It’s extremely important, and we’re gonna continue to do so.

Creed III is out in theaters on March 3, 2023.