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One of the many films to world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival was director Destin Daniel Cretton’s adaptation of Bryan Stevenson’s memoir Just Mercy. The film is based on a true story and follows a civil rights defense attorney (Michael B. Jordan) trying to free a wrongfully incarcerated death row inmate (Jamie Foxx). Just Mercy also stars Brie Larson, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Rafe Spall, Rob Morgan, Karan Kendrick and Tim Blake Nelson.

Before the world premiere, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Tim Blake Nelson, Rob Morgan and Karan Kendrick came by the Collider studio to talk about the film. During the interview, they talked about their reaction reading the script for the first time, who they play, the power of movies, how they got ready for their roles, and a lot more.

Check out what they had to say in the player above and below is exactly what we talked about followed by the official synopsis.

We also need to send a big thank you to our presenting sponsor Nordstrom Canada and supporting partners Marriott Bonvoy and Ciroc Vodka for supporting the Collider Lounge at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival and helping to make these interviews happen.

Rob Morgan, Karan Kendrick, Tim Blake Nelson, O'Shea Jackson:

• What was it like making the film?
• How movies can talk about uncomfortable subject matter.
• What was it like reading the script for the first time?
• Who they each play in the film.
• What did they do to get into their character?

The official synopsis for Just Mercy is here:

A powerful and thought-provoking true story, Just Mercy follows young lawyer Bryan Stevenson (Jordan) and his history-making battle for justice.  After graduating from Harvard, Bryan had his pick of lucrative jobs.  Instead, he heads to Alabama to defend those wrongly condemned or who were not afforded proper representation, with the support of local advocate Eva Ansley (Larson).  One of his first, and most incendiary, cases is that of Walter McMillian (Foxx), who, in 1987, was sentenced to die for the notorious murder of an 18-year-old girl, despite a preponderance of evidence proving his innocence and the fact that the only testimony against him came from a criminal with a motive to lie.  In the years that follow, Bryan becomes embroiled in a labyrinth of legal and political maneuverings and overt and unabashed racism as he fights for Walter, and others like him, with the odds—and the system—stacked against them.