Jonathan Majors is on the road to redemption, and he began by winning and accepting the Perseverance Award at Hollywood Unlocked‘s Impact Awards. It all went down Friday (June 21), when Majors hit the stage at the fourth annual ceremony with a speech addressing his journey since he was convicted of assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Grace Jabbari.
He recalled feeling hopeless in the face of adversity and stated that he was only treated the way he was “because of who I was and what I am.”
“As a Black man in the criminal justice system, I felt anger, I felt sadness, hurt, surprise. When they snatched me up out of my apartment in handcuffs, I didn’t feel like all that,” the thespian expressed. “I didn’t feel like Jonathan Majors, Mr. Creed, Mr. Kang; I felt like a little scared, weak boy, despite the support and evidence that was in my favor, I knew sh*t was bad. And it was bad because of who I was and what I am. This is what happens to Black people all too often.”
He then spoke about the concept of the Perseverance Award, an accolade given to those who inspire in the face of obstacles. Majors explains that society often puts Black men in two different extremes, entirely good or entirely evil, with no nuance for the space in-between.
#Kang actor Jonathan Majors breaks into tears as he accepts the Perseverance Award at Hollywood Unlocked Impact Awards.
In his 17-minute speech, he details his arrest, the conviction, and the Hollywood stars who supported him.
(via @chrissgardner) pic.twitter.com/LIdzk4Tk7h
— Cosmic Marvel (@cosmic_marvel) June 22, 2024“The God I serve has put me in a position where I’ve had to embody [perserverance] more than I wished or wanted to. We live in a world where men, Black men in particular, are propped up as either superheroes or supervillains,” he added. “I command myself to be shoulders to our community, to my queen, to our industry, to our culture. And just to Ella, my baby girl, we’re gonna be alright, your father loves you. I love y’all, I thank you for this. To be in this room with these great entertainers, these great Black artists, woo. Ain’t no place like home.”
Majors’ award arrives on the heels of the actor scoring his first role since being convicted of reckless assault in the third degree and harassment in December 2023.
The former Ant-Man actor is set to star in MartinVilleneuve’s upcoming sci-fi revenge thriller Merciless. Merciless will follow a CIA interrogator named John who embarks on a mission to save the woman he loves from a mysterious, enigmatic force—an adventure sending the man down an even darker path.
Villeneuve is set to begin shooting the film with Majors and an unnamed cast this fall in Saskatchewan. In an interview with Deadline, Martin detailed the upcoming film, stating, “Merciless intertwines themes of possession, revenge, and personal justice within a haunting narrative. It explores the psychological descent of John, played by Majors, and the supernatural forces challenging his sanity.”
Merciless will be developed by producer Christopher Tuffin, who plans to use the movie as the inaugural project under his new global media venture. Tuffin stated to Deadline that the brand’s identity and name would be unveiled at the Toronto Film Festival and spoke about working with Majors, saying, “I consider it an honor and a privilege to be working with Jonathan, who is such a great talent now that this matter has been adjudicated.”
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