“It takes constant maintenance to honor the craft of acting. You have to be prepared for heartbreak and heartache. Eventually, you start getting curious about trying to find it. That’s what’s keeping the lights on the inside of me… that exploration.”
-Jonathan Majors, episode 306 of Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso
To close the holiday weekend, we sit with actor Jonathan Majors! At the top, we discuss how he embodied real-life US Navy pilot Jesse Brown in the new film “Devotion” (6:50) and what a dream revealed about both the character (8:20) and a pivotal scene with actor Glen Powell (9:40). Then, Jonathan reflects on a formative memory on his grandparents’ farm in Texas (16:19), his formative relationships with his parents (19:45), and his mother’s unconditional love and support (21:50) as he found his path to drama school (27:30).
On the back half, we talk about his approach to acting at the UNC School of the Arts (30:12), his singular work in “Da 5 Bloods” and HBO’s “Lovecraft Country” in 2020 (35:42), and how his “capacity for heartbreak” propels his performances.
As we leave, we discuss Jonathan’s life as an artist and father (43:32) and the recurring dream that portends his future (45:42).
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Show-notes:
- Purchase tickets to see Devotion in theaters.
- See Jonathan’s previous work in Hostiles, Lovecraft Country, Da 5 Bloods, and The Last Black Man in San Francisco.
- Learn more about his work in TIME100 Next.
- For more conversations, hear our talks with Tessa Thompson, Ethan Hawke, Pedro Pascal, Cate Blanchett, Matthew McConaughey, Eddie Redmayne, and Laura Dern.
- Order your Talk Easy mug in cream and navy or our vinyl record with Fran Lebowitz.
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Original illustration by Krishna Shenoi. Reference image by Mary Mathis.
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