Air recounts the events that led to one of the most successful business collaborations in history, forever changing the landscape of sports and the athletic apparel industry. The film combines inspirational storytelling with humor, making this a classic feel-good story that people of many ages can enjoy.
Air transports viewers back to the early ’80s when Adidas and Converse reigned supreme on professional basketball courts, and Nike was the underdog struggling to make inroads into the sport. The story centers around Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) as he works to save Nike’s struggling basketball division by fighting to sign–and gambling the department’s very existence on–then-rookie Michael Jordan.
Speaking about his role and that of the other Nike executives portrayed in the film, Matt Damon said that the goal was to capture the nostalgia that was apparent when the executives spoke about working at Nike during that time.
“But before this kind of incredible deal, they really were these kind of renegades, kind of outsiders. And so that was really what we were trying to get,” he said at the global press conference.
Joining Damon at the 1984 Nike headquarters are Jason Bateman as Rob Strasser, Chris Tucker as Howard White, Matthew Maher as Peter Moore, and Ben Affleck as Nike founder and CEO Phil Knight.
Tucker was one of the cast members who met with his real-life counterpart and had access to many people who knew White, which helped him prepare for the role.
“And I really got a lot of information together to embody his spirit, his dialect, and put it all together and put it into character. And everybody said he was like Confucius, he was just this nice guy, thought about the world, you know, glass half full instead of half empty.”
Although the star behind the lucrative deal is Michael, he is not portrayed onscreen and rather becomes a mythical figure that hovers over the film, as described in an article in The Hollywood Reporter. It is his parents that are more central to this story, especially his mother, Deloris Jordan (Viola Davis). Affleck, who also directed the film, met with Michael to talk about Air, and during that conversation, Affleck was moved by how Michael spoke about his mother with a deep adoration and reverence. That is when Ben knew that should be the focus of the story and when Deloris’s role was expanded in the film. Deloris played a pivotal role in convincing Michael to sign with Nike when the rookie had no interest in the company.
Deloris was a devoted mother and fierce defender and protector of her son’s talent at a time when Michael had yet to prove himself. As Deloris, Viola Davis delivers a moving performance, and according to Ben, it was Michael who requested Davis play his mother in the film.
Davis said it was challenging taking on the role but felt flattered to be asked to portray the basketball legend’s mother. During the global press conference, she spoke about Deloris’s personality and taking on that role.
“And if you watch videos on Deloris Jordan, she is steady in Zen neutrality. The woman is very, very steady and quiet. I mean, I would imagine that even when she gets mad, she’s probably very, very, very steady,” she said, laughing.
“So, to really just sort of envelope that spirit and everything, was a challenge for me because I’m the woman who always has a chip on her shoulder,” she added.
Julius Tennon, Davis’ husband, also plays her onscreen husband in Air portraying Michael’s father, James Jordan. Tennon said he wanted to bring dignity and levity to James, whom he described as a simple man who supported and protected his family.
Chris Messina also joins the cast as David Falk, Michael’s agent. Messina’s portrayal of Falk as a sports agent with a larger-than-life personality and a knack for using colorful language provides some of the funniest scenes in the film.
Rounding out the cast is Marlon Wayans as George Raveling, a highly decorated basketball coach who coached NCAA and Olympic teams. Raveling was friends with Vaccaro and helped guide him in the negotiations with Michael. Raveling is also known for having the original typewritten copy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech, which the civil rights leader gave him.
Many in the cast mentioned that working with Ben and Matt was like working with friends, and the camaraderie that they spoke about was evident in Air. The cast displayed great chemistry, and the actors played well off of each other throughout the film.
As the director, Affleck said it was important to bring in everyone’s perspectives–not just his own–to tell this story.
Alex Convery wrote the script for Air, and Affleck and Damon also served as producers on the film.
Air opens exclusively in theaters on April 5.
