The Breakfast Club - *Bonus Episode* Charlamagne "Just Mercy" Q and A

Episode Date: December 16, 2019

Charlamagne sits down with the cast of the new film "Just Mercy" for a live Q&A to celebrate the film's hero and inspiration, Bryan Stevenson. Make sure you check out "Just Mercy" only in select theaters December 25th and everywhere January 10th.   Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Had enough of this country? Ever dreamt about starting your own? I planted the flag. This is mine. I own this. It's surprisingly easy. 55 gallons of water, 500 pounds of concrete. Or maybe not. No country willingly gives up their territory. Oh my God.

What is that? Bullets. Listen to Escape from Zakistan. We need help! That's Escape from Z-A-Q-istan on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast

Post Run High is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. As a kid, I really do remember having these dreams and visions, but you just don't know what is going to come for you. Alicia shares her wisdom on growth, gratitude, and the power of love. I forgive myself. It's okay.

Have grace with yourself. You're trying your best. And you're going to figure out the rhythm of this thing. Alicia Keys like you've never heard her before. Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome everyone. Thank you for joining us for this very exciting evening for the very special film Just Mercy. We're going to start things off by spending time with a simply put one of the most inspiring people

you will ever meet, a hero of our generation, Bryan Stevenson. We're honored to have three people here who need no introduction. Ladies and gentlemen, here's the star and producer of Just Mercy, Michael B. Jordan, joined by two more of the film stars, Oscar-winning actors Jamie Foxx and Brie Larson. They can't wait for you to meet the extraordinary person at the center of Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson, a hero of our generation who has been a bold voice for the voiceless and has fearlessly stood up for justice when told to sit down. In the crowd, we have some special guests, three members of the film's remarkable cast

who all give outstanding performances, Rob Morgan, Tim Blake Nelson, and Kyron Kendrick. They are joined by our host who needs no introduction. Please welcome to the stage the popular and always outspoken host of The Breakfast Club and my friend Charlamagne. How y'all feeling this evening? What's happening? Is your country falling apart? Feeling tired? Depressed? A little bit revolutionary? Consider this. Start your own country. I planted the flag. I just kind of looked out of like, this is mine. I own this. It's surprisingly easy. There's 55 gallons of water for 500 pounds of concrete.

Everybody's doing it. I am King Ernest Emmanuel. I am the Queen of Laudonia. I'm Jackson I, King of Capraburg. I am the Supreme Leader of the Grand Republic of Mentonia. Be part of a great colonial tradition. Why can't I create my own country? My forefathers did that themselves. What could go wrong?

No country willingly gives up their territory. I was making a rocket with a black powder, you know, with explosive warhead. Oh my God. What is that? Bullets. Bullets. We need help! We need help!

We still have the off-road portion to go. Listen to Escape from Zakistan. And we're losing daylight fast. That's Escape from Z-A-Q-istan on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast Post Run High is all about.

It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. You know that rush of endorphins you feel after a great workout? Well, that's when the real magic happens. So if you love hearing real, inspiring stories from the people you know, follow, and admire, join me every week for Post Run High. It's where we take the conversation beyond the run and get into the heart of it all. It's lighthearted, pretty crazy, and very fun. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

As a kid, I really do remember having these dreams and visions, but you just don't know what is going to come for you. Alicia Keys opens up about conquering doubt, learning to trust herself and leaning into her dreams. I think a lot of times we are built to doubt the possibilities for ourselves, for self-preservation and protection. It was literally that step by step. And so I discovered that that is how we get where we're going. This increment of small, determined moments. Alicia shares her wisdom on growth, gratitude, and the power of love.

I forgive myself. It's okay. Like grace. Have grace with yourself. You're trying your best. And you're going to figure out the rhythm of this thing. Alicia Keys, like you've never heard her before. Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We're here to talk a little Just Mercy. Michael B. Jordan, what's happening, my brother? Doing good. How you doing, man? Why was it important to tell Brian's story? I mean, for a number of reasons. I think once I discovered who Brian Stevenson was, and I'm very embarrassed that four or five years ago I wasn't that familiar with him or his work, I felt like it's something

that's timely. This case, this story took place over 30 years ago, but it's still relevant to today. It's still going on, obviously. And if I could take this story and get it out to the masses and keep that conversation going, if I could do my part and use my platform to make this a global thing, to make this a human thing, I was going to do everything I could to kind of get that done.

And after meeting Brian and really realizing the impact of the work that he's doing, it's hard to not feel moved and not feel like you want to be a part of the solution and be a part of change. The President of the United States of America, How did the story come across your radar? Through my agency. It was something that, you know, it was an opportunity for me to want to tell the story.

When I first met Brian, I had a feeling that he was, you know, he was auditioning me, like if I was worthy enough to kind of tell his story. Because, you know, he's a very humble person. He's not a guy who likes a lot of attention. He does his work behind closed doors and really makes an impact. And I felt honored to be able to tell this story. Nobody's perfect, but he's damn close.

And that pressure to do him justice and not to let him down is something that really stayed in my mind as we developed and worked on the movie. Brian, did he do a good job, Brian? Oh, he does an amazing job. I think one of the things that I'm most excited about is the extraordinary performances that all of these amazing actors do. I mean, for me, I've always believed that if I could get people to see what I see on a regular basis,

if I could get them to understand the humanity and the dignity of the people that I represent and what's lost when we treat people unfairly and unjustly, when we crush hopes, when we traumatize and abuse people, that people would want the same things that I want. And I wasn't sure that was achievable

until I met Michael. And I was very apprehensive about having the book turned into a movie, because a lot of times, Hollywood doesn't actually get the story right. They compromise. But Michael was aligned, and he wanted to do it in the right way. And Destin had that same vision.

And not only is Michael an amazingly talented actor, he's somebody who cares deeply about these issues. And his commitment to the issues and getting it right is what gave me hope. And then when Jamie came and Bree came and the other members of the cast came, I began to get excited about what might happen if we lifted the veil on what's happening in this country. I mean, our country has the highest rate of incarceration in the world. We have put millions of people in jails and prisons.

We're putting children in adult prisons. We're executing people who are innocent. We have condemned people unfairly, and we haven't responded the way a just nation should respond. And so we have to wake people up. And I'm hoping that the storytelling in this film will get people engaged in a way where they leave the theaters prepared to do something that it doesn't end when the film is over and that's what really motivates me when I see the film and what excites me about the performances

Brie Larson how are you hello are we on the radio oh it just said I heart radio oh no I heart radio is the label that made me. You just like the radio. That's why it says that. Okay, got it. Yeah, but you play Eva Angely. I do. Who is an ally to the community.

What was it like for you to portray her? Oh, it was incredible. I got to be with Michael B. Jordan, like, all the time. It was just wonderful. You know, Destin, who directed the film. Jordan, like, all the time. It was just wonderful. You know, Destin, who directed the film, is, like, my family. He's my brother. And when I heard that he was telling this story, I had read Brian's book a couple years prior.

I was just so moved by him and by his story. And Michael wanted me to be there. So for me, it was about doing the work that I needed to do to show up to dissolve myself to just be there to listen and to hold space and to explore what that felt like and it felt so good word what is the story of Brian's and Brian Stevenson taught you to get get very, very close to everything. Even just today, doing press all day, I have a new person sitting in front of me

every three minutes, and it's amazing to watch your mind run with how your brain wants to quantify any person that's in front of you, and to really work to kind of push that away and to go, who are you? Because I most definitely don't know, but I know we have a lot in common.

And that's what Brian taught me. DEREK HENDERSON JR.: Dope. Jamie Foxx. What's happening, my brother? JAMIE FOXX JR.: What's up, baby? DEREK HENDERSON JR.: How was it for you to portray your character? And how did Brian help you with the role?

JAMIE FOXX JR.: Well, first of all, just, I mean, meeting Brian is just incredible. And then the fact that Michael playing, and then they both, I mean, meeting Brian is just incredible. And then the fact that Michael playing, and then they both, look, they, you know, both be in the gym, so, you know, like, it all worked out. Because I know you said you were auditioning for him,

but I know he was telling people, yeah, you know, Michael B. Jordan is playing me. Come on, man. But what Bryan Stevenson done is so important because he doesn't fatigue. When we have black issues, it'll be a black issue for 30 minutes on our cell phone or whatever we have our revolution about for 45 minutes behind our gates.

And then we fatigue. Bryan Stevenson works tirelessly to change the perception of us. That's why I'm happy that Michael B. Jordan called me. I was humbled to get that call to find out that he was doing his story, and it's important because we have to get into these narratives and really do something about them because we were dealing with this in Texas.

People being wrongly accused and placed in prison to die. And the fact that the perception of a black man is so a matter of fact that we're able to allow it to happen. And we sit either not mute or just don't know about it so and I think when it comes to Michael B Jordan you have to commend him for what he did behind the camera and in front of the camera it's his first movie he produced it he has the inclusion act where he has you know everybody who's represented behind closed doors. And you think about this, he can do anything he wants to. He's a big star.

But I know you like me, when he laid that groundwork in Fruitvale Station, and he laid that narrative where he spoke for us. And I told you, I went with some homies. I went with the thugs to go see that movie, and there was sniffles because of how you touch this. And then to go from there to Killmonger, biggest movie on the planet, and Black Panther,

but he took the same narrative with him at the biggest level of his career. And so now, Just Mercy is the artistic sentence that's being finished, but it's not the only sentence. And I think that's what's great about the film. This is the most important film I've been a part of. And I think that

we should make sure we get... That's a big statement for you. It is. It's the most important film. You're talking about Ali, you're talking about Ray. I'm going to tell you why it's the most important. Because of perception. Like, I don't like to visit people in jail. Because I don't want to see that. I don't want to get used to seeing family members or anything like that. I don't want to see that. My father went to jail for $25 worth of illegal substance. They put him in jail for seven years. This man educated black studies in South Dallas for 25 years.

The very students that he used to have the judge come and preside and come talk to the kids, that judge presided over his case. Put him in jail next to kids that he taught. But they don't understand that that black man taught me how to swim. That black man taught me how to throw a football, taught me how to play tennis.

I said, why am I learning to play tennis? Because I want you to know all of it. So, you know, it's a thing that I'm familiar with. Now, the good part about that is that when he got out, I wrote him one letter. I said, you come stay with me. I got on now. You can come stay with me, and I want to change your life.

Now, this man taught me how to play tennis. The good part about this story is that I got a chance to take him to the US Open and let him watch Venus and Serena play. So when that man watched this movie about what was going on, I watched him, you know, I watched him get, you know, weep, you know, because these stories are almost every single day. So that's why I say it's the most important film I've ever been in. Wow.

Is your country falling apart? Feeling tired? Depressed? A little bit revolutionary? Consider this. Start your own country. I planted the flag. I just kind of looked out of like, this is mine. I own this. Start your own country. I planted the flag. I just kind of

looked out of like, this is mine. I own this. It's surprisingly easy. There are 55 gallons of water, 500 pounds of concrete. Everybody's doing it. I am King Ernest Emmanuel. I am the Queen of Laudonia. I'm Jackson I, King of Capraburg. I am the Supreme Leader of the Grand Republic of Mentonia. Be part of a great colonial tradition. The Waikana tribe my country my forefathers did that themselves. What could go wrong? No country willingly gives up their territory. I was making a rocket with a black powder you know with explosive warhead. Oh my god. What is that? Bullets. Bullets. We still have the off-road portion to go. Listen to Escape from Zakistan. And we're losing daylight fast.

That's Escape from Z-A-Q-istan on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast, Post Run High, is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. You know that rush of endorphins you feel after a great workout?

Well, that's when the real magic happens. So if you love hearing real, inspiring stories from the people you know, follow, and admire, join me every week for Post Run High. It's where we take the conversation beyond the run and get into the heart of it all. It's lighthearted, pretty crazy, and very fun. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. As a kid, I really do remember having these dreams and visions, but you just don't know what is going to come for you. Alicia Keys opens up about conquering doubt, learning to trust herself and leaning into her

dreams. I think a lot of times we are built to doubt the possibilities for ourselves. For self-preservation and protection, it was literally that step by step. And so I discovered that that is how we get where we're going. This increment of small, determined moments. Alicia shares her wisdom on growth, gratitude, and the power of love. I forgive myself. It's okay. Like grace.

Have grace with yourself. You're trying your best. And you're going to figure out the rhythm of this thing thing alicia keys like you've never heard her before listen to on purpose with jay shetty on the iheart radio app apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts michael is it is it hard to get white hollywood executives to make these kind of stories i feel like this movie for me first of all getting any movie is really hard to get white Hollywood executives to make these kind of stories? I feel like this movie for me, first of all, getting any movie is really hard to get done. Especially one with a message like this. I feel like for me, in this project, I can't say that it was hard to get done.

Warner Brothers ran towards this movie. They knew it wasn't a cash cow, it wasn't one of their huge blockbuster movies, but they felt like it was very important. Parlayed my relationship with them and my overall deal there. They ran towards the inclusion writer that I implemented with my production company. They collaborated with my team for all of Warner Media,

so now Warner Media has the Inclusion Act in there, and that's how they hire, through all of Warner Media, which is a huge first step. It's a huge precedent that's set with that company. What exactly is that? So a person of a minority, somebody from the LBGTQ community, some of an unrepresented group, has to be heavily considered for a department head in front of the camera

and a major role within the movie. And that's something, it's something that on paper, a mandate that, you know, can hold people somewhat accountable. It's not bulletproof. It's not full force, but it's something that they operate by. It's a mandate the company works under. So that was a huge first step. We have a lot more steps to go, but it was a nice first move. I feel like the timing of this movie was very important. I feel like Brian's work

had a lot to do with it. Brian Stevenson, who he was, I think the heads of our studio was very progressive and wanted to get behind this message. So it was a lot of factors that kind of fell into place for this movie to get made with as much ease as it has. It wasn't completely easy, but it wasn't as hard as it has been in the past. Why is Bryan Stevenson a hero? I think he's a hero because he's selfless. I feel like he sacrificed his life and dedicated it to a cause, and he doesn't fatigue, like Jamie said. He doesn't tire. I think he is almost, he's so optimistic and so hopeful

in the most dismal situations, I can't even fathom. I think one of the most challenging things about playing him in this movie was the situations that he was in and he kept his calm, he kept his cool. Why, because it wasn't beneficial for his clients. Being strip searched, being, you know, mistreated and obviously, you know, seeing laws being broken left and right. But being antagonized, being racially profiled, being harassed. And he still kept his calm nature when emotionally, even in the scene, I wanted to react differently.

So my artistic acting choices, I wanted to be rageful. I wanted to lash out. But that's not what Bryan Stevenson did. That's not who he was. So that reserved nature, that methodical, that he's a strategist. He's five steps ahead. He's all about changing perception. He has layers.

He created this legacy museum. He has this memorial situation set up down down in Alabama he's attacking this thing at so many different levels I was so impressed by by how much strategy goes into it um and he does all of his work pro bono you know I'm saying you know I'm saying and it's and it? And the man is so humble. It's incredible, man. So it's like, you know, he is our hero, man. It's like I've been in Marvel films.

You know, I've done all that. But this is the one that I'm most proud of, man. He's the guy I look up to. Brian got some fire quotes, too. I put some in my phone because I wanted to ask you about it. Brian, you said you don't change the world with the ideas in your mind, but with the conviction in your heart.

Can you expand on that? Sure. I mean, I just think that we have to recognize our power to make a difference. And we use some of these lines in the movie, but for me, they're not just lines. It's the way we do justice. You know, the question is, how do we do justice?

You do justice by being willing to get close to people who are poor and excluded and neglected. You know, in this country we have a tendency to kind of let the lights always go to the rich and the powerful and the privileged. We tend to care more about what's happening in places where people have been lifted up and gotten a lot of attention. And I don't believe that our country will be judged by how well we treat the powerful and the privileged and the celebrated. We're going to be judged by how we treat the poor and the incarcerated and the excluded. And for me, that means understanding that we have an obligation to do these things. My great-grandfather was enslaved in Virginia. And he had the belief. He believed things

he couldn't see. And so he learned to read as a 12-year-old, even though everybody was telling him he would never be free. And he learned to read. And when emancipation came, all of the formerly enslaved people would come to his house, and he'd read the newspaper every night. And the house would get quiet. My grandmother would sit next to him. She said it would make her so proud that he had that kind of power. And he gave that desire to read to my grandmother. And even though they didn't have school, she was very literate. And she gave that to my mother. And my mother gave that to me. And we were poor.

But my mom went into debt to buy the World Book Encyclopedia so we could see this other place. And I was raised and natured by people who had the strength to keep fighting. And so for me, it's a choice. Hopefulness is what we have to have. And we say in the film, and I say it all the time, that hopelessness is the enemy of justice. And justice prevails where hopelessness persists. Our hope is our superpower. And I live in Montgomery,

Alabama. It's a challenging place, but it's also an incredibly inspiring place. Because in Montgomery, you never forget that you're standing on the shoulders of people who did so much more with so much less. The people trying to do what I'm trying to do 60 years ago, they had to frequently say, my head is bloodied but not bad. I've never had to say that. And I feel the power of the enslaved who found a way to stay hopeful despite bondage. I feel the power of people who were terrorized in lynching, found a way to get to security. My parents were humiliated every day by Jim Crow segregation, and yet they had enough hope to love one another, to create a generation that gives me the opportunities that I have now.

So I feel an obligation to fight for our future, to fight for our children. There's a presumption of dangerousness and guilt that gets assigned to black and brown people, and it's not right, and we've got to end it. We have a criminal justice system. You know, this system that we have that treats you better if you're rich and guilty than if you're poor and innocent, it's not right, and we've got to do something about it. And I think we can when we get amazing, talented people,

like the people on this stage, and people like Rob Morgan, and Karen Kendrick, and Tim Blake Nelson, when they come together and use their creative power to tell these stories, I don't think there are any limits to what we can unravel, we can unearth that can actually move us toward justice. And that's what excites me about the film. I think it's going to become something that I hope people are organized around, that people get inspired by, that pushes us towards something that feels more like justice.

And that's the vision, that's the hope behind all of this. How effective do you think this movie will be in changing anything in our climate in America right now? I feel like the takeaway that I want at the end of this movie, I want people to feel. I want people to start having conversations. That's where it starts. I want people to go home and think, you know. I want people to feel like what can they do.

I think one of the major issues with criminal justice is people feel like the issue is so big that what could little old me do to affect this big thing? And it's paralyzing, so they do nothing. And I feel like if you can identify with the thing that makes you tick, that bothers you, that you want to go out and be a part of the solution, go to EJI.org. There's a list of actionable things that you can actually do to start being a part of the solution, go to EJI.org. There's a list of actionable things that you can actually do to start being a part of the actual change. Vote.

You feel me? I write that, you know, that our ancestors, you know, died and went through all this shit for us. Vote. You know, find out what judges are where, what policies are being put in place, how can you vote on things that's going to directly affect your situation and your circumstances. You know, those are the basic things that's going to directly affect your situation and your circumstances.

You know, those are the basic things that we just tend to ignore. So I want people to feel like they're not too small, that they could be a part of the solution, they could stand on the right side of history after leaving and watching this movie. Bree, when you see stories like this, how does it make you personally feel? What was your first story like this? Yeah, as a white person in America, when you see stories like this, how does it make you personally feel? As a white person in America, when you see stories like this, how does it make you feel? Thank you for the question.

What? Is that funny? Oh. I really meant it. It sounded a little funny. It did? Everybody was like, oh. How do you feel being white? No, no, no. They just don't know Brie. They don't know, no, no, no. Oh. Speak about that. They just don't know Bree.

They don't know Bree that well. It's okay. They just don't know Bree. I really was grateful for the question. I mean, everybody else felt it. I think I... Just let the air out the room for a second, guys. If it...

I think of... Ooh. Talk about that whiteness you dealing with over there. How I feel to be white. Huh? I'll wait. I got time. Speak on that whiteness.

On that whiteness. Speak on the whiteness. Thank you, Jamie. I know what you meant though. I know what you mean. I'm just letting them go, cause they held their breath. The whiteness.

Y'all trying to catch a moment right there. Charlamagne talks about whiteness. Tum, tum, tum. TMZ. But you know what I mean. I know exactly what you mean. You know how at the end of Boys in the Hood when those boys say either they don't know, don't show or don't care about what's going on.

I wonder how much they know. Exactly. I'm just saying how it felt. Well, I mean, the truth is I'm so open, you know? And I'm so open to learning about, to learning more and to listening. And I learned so much on this movie, and I will keep learning. And so to hear these stories is hard. It's very hard. And I feel helpless, too, at times.

And I know that I'm not doing enough, too. And I also try really hard. So for me, it's about keeping my eyes open and keeping softness in myself because getting hard doesn't really help anybody I don't think and being available every step of the way. So it's doing things like this, making myself available to films like this and it's activism outside of it that you may hear about or you may not.

But that's just me. And I did appreciate the question, by the way. That was a great answer. Your publicist is somewhere like, whoo! But I'll tell you what does go a long way. The fact that she's a part of the film. The fact that people can see it and feel included.

And the fact that all the people on the stage were conscious about making sure that this movie was open to everybody. Michael B., Brian, we constantly, Destin, our director, constantly made sure that there were things that we did so we could open it up. This movie tested a 97 in front of an all-black audience. But then it tested in front of an all-white audience.

And I was like, man, what did they say? It tested at a 98. So it lets you know that your question is absolutely pointed. It absolutely needs to be said because I think in the movie what was brilliant is that when you did see the white characters, like the correctional officer,

he had contrition. He knew that this was wrong. So you could see it on his face. That moment gives the people that are white in the audience who feel the way he feels a chance to get into it. Also with the prosecuting attorney, you could see him stewing and toiling with this decision

that's going to ruin this man's life. So I think by the movie doing that brings everybody into it, makes it a human condition of what we have to eradicate, if that makes sense. BRIAN WILLIAMS- Brian, I want to close with this. Michael brought it up earlier. But what are the big and small things we can do to help support a world with more Brian Stevenson? Well, thank you.

I mean, for me, we've gotten into this mess because we've allowed ourselves to be governed by the politics of fear and anger. In the 1970s and 80s, we had politicians that said that people who are drug addicted and drug dependent, those people are criminals and we're going to use the criminal justice system to respond to them. We shouldn't have made that choice. We should have said that people with addiction and dependency have a health problem. We need our healthcare system to respond. So we have to change the frame in this country. We have to resist the politics of fear and anger. Fear and anger are the essential ingredients that contribute to injustice and oppression. Walter McMillan was convicted in this community because people were being shaped by fear and anger.

And they tolerated things they shouldn't tolerate. They accepted things they shouldn't accept. And I just hope people who see this film are motivated to push past the fear, push past the anger, and actually do the things that justice requires. We will have on our site a whole catalog of opportunities for people to get involved. There are hundreds of organizations around the country that are looking for volunteers to work with the thousands of people who come out of jails and prisons every month

who need help. There are people that are doing campaigns. We need bail reform in this country. We put people in prison because they're poor, and we keep them there. We need accountability from police officers and prosecutors and judges and we've got to change that.

I want everybody who sees this film to be motivated to learn who the prosecutor is in the community where they live. Most people don't know who their prosecutor is. And there are people who exploit that by doing all kinds of really horrific things but they're never held accountable because we don't even know who they are and that kind of

education can be powerful I hope people will see the film and come to Montgomery we've opened a museum we've opened a memorial it's a place where we're trying to tell the truth about this history of racial inequality it's a challenging place but it's a necessary place and finally I hope people will come to the understanding that we've got to do better as people who care about other people. There's an absence of compassion and mercy in the policy debates that we see happening around us. There is. And when we allow ourselves to be disconnected from mercy and compassion, we do terrible things to one another. We don't send crimes to prison. We send people to prison. And when we forget that we're sending people, we do abusive things.

And I just believe that a community that comes together and starts demanding more hope and more mercy and more justice is a community that actually begins to move toward the kind of community that I think all of us want to live in. We want to live in a place that's healthy, where no one is prejudged and treated unfairly.

But to get there, we're going to have to to make some changes and I'm hoping this film inspires people to engage in the kind of day-to-day living that those changes require and I'm so I just have to say how grateful I am to Michael and to Bree and to Jamie and the entire cast and to Destin for me watching the film and seeing the humanity and the dignity of my clients presented in such a powerful, thoughtful, kind way was incredibly moving. And my community, the people who are on death row, the poor, the accused, the condemned, are so excited to finally be acknowledged, to be seen, to be recognized, and to have their struggle for justice,

and to be portrayed with such care and compassion. It's a great gift to all of us that are trying to do human rights work in this country, and I'm enormously grateful. I know I said that was the last question, but I got one more for Michael B. Jordan. This is a movie about hope, so what do you want that hope to be for the people?

What is that hope? I want the hope to be... That's a great question. That I feel like within solidarity, if you get enough people, that was an excellent timing on that. We got sound effects. We got a cricket sound effect. Awesome. Wow. Can a black man get his thoughts together

before he just starts talking? Jesus Christ. That's the t-shirt right here. I feel like with enough solidarity, with enough unification amongst people, I think with the numbers of people talking about the same thing, that care about the same thing,

you'll be able to demand answers from broken systems. I feel like if you get enough of us, the internet is a powerful thing. We cancel things all the time. You get behind a movement you can see some things start to change from blue collar corporations to getting people

released from jail you can get some movement done if we all get together and push one narrative something that we really care about I feel like we can make some real change from watching this movie I want people to feel like your words matter, the things that you say matter,

your vote matters, that you can get out and actually be a part of the change and just don't sit back and do nothing. Because if you sit back and do nothing, it helps no one. Make some noise for Bryan Stevenson, Jamie Foxx, Brie Larson, and Michael B. Jordan. Just Mercy comes out limited release on Christmas Day and wide release on January 10th.

So make sure y'all go support that, all right? Peace. Had enough of this country? Ever dreamt about starting your own? I planted the flag. This is mine. I own this. It's surprisingly easy.

55 gallons of water, 500 pounds of concrete. Or maybe not. No country willingly gives up their territory. Oh my God. What is that? Bullets. Listen to Escape from Zakistan.

That's Escape from Z-A-Q-istan on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast, Post Run High, is all about. As a kid, I really do remember having these dreams and visions, or wherever you get your podcasts. trying our best. And you're going to figure out the rhythm of this thing. Alicia Keys, like you've never heard her before.

Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.