Michael Cooper Jr. on “Forever” and what is the next step

The experience of the newcomer Michael Cooper Jr. on the drama of Mara Brock Akil Forever has changed life.

Based on the novel by Judy Blume of 1975 of the same name and told through a modern lens, the Netflix series with eight episodes is an exploration of young love. Cooper plays Justin Edwards, an inexperienced and somewhat clumsy teenager.

“A line wrote that Mara in the script was that he has one foot with confidence and the other foot in insecurity,” explains Cooper The Hollywood Reporter During a zoom call, explaining his character who also plays in his high school basketball team. “I thought it was so beautiful that I was able to superimpose it in the show. To see [him] Grow everywhere was really special. It was a treat, as an actor, that Mara gave me. »»

After modest pieces in 2022 On the fact And The inhabitantA character as resonant as Justin marks his leading first role is an additional gift, says Cooper. Below, the actor speaks with THR Around forever, to be number one on the call sheet and to whom he is looking for advice.

What was working on Forever as? What was the experience meant for you?

The story itself is magnificent. He resonates with so many people. It is a story of transition to adulthood. Judy Blume is an incredible creator, and Mara Brock [Akil]Adaptation, she strikes the house for me. There is so much connective tissue, whether it is a black man and his experience or to be a young man and his first love, these are things with whom I could connect. Even [the] Travel with Justin and its specificity with regard to ADHD, something I fight with. Me and Justin are not the same. We are completely different guys. But these are some of the things that really talked to me, and it honestly changed my perception and how I see the world. Justin is such an emotional and vulnerable guy, and that has infiltrated the way I perceive things now. It was a gift that I didn’t think I was never going to receive something like that, but it was special.

Can you share more on work on a show led by Mara Brock Akil?

It’s Mara Brock Akil, do you know what I mean? To be able to even be anchored in something of this measure and work with it so closely, it was really an honor and an experience. She cares so much about her job and her story that she is palpable on the set. It is this binding thing of passion and love for history. The reason I started was in service. I think Mara understands that as an artist, it is not for you, it is not a question of self. How can we serve other people and how can we connect to them?

How do you feel to be on the finish line with this season? Have you thought about the experience?

It’s a bit crazy. There was a little time. When you turn it, your character infiltrates a little in you. I was like, what’s going on? To get out of it, I went on a cruise with friends to center myself and come back to me. ADR is something that most of the actors have to do, and I remember very well to have entered the stand and Mara was in the Los Angeles offices and it was at the microphone. I was talking about my normal voice, and she said: “No, no, no. You seem to be a man of 25 years of the club. I need you to mount the octaves a couple.” I was like, oh, I forgot that Justin was a child. It is this strange thing that we have created something, and now the world is about to see it. It is vulnerable. There are no words to describe it, but what I can say is that it looks like a very intimate experience and now we just allow the world.

Given that this is your first leading role, this project will probably be a point of contact for you throughout your career. Do you feel that during the set or is it just another day of work?

Honestly, it looks like another day of work, not necessarily thinking of the overall image. You are so focused on who is Justin and how we can serve history. You don’t really think about anything falling afterwards. You think of how can I put my heart [into it]? How can I put my soul and my best foot forward on a daily basis? It’s intense. I am so new in this area. You watch television, you watch movies, you are like, wow. But there are so many things. It taught me, as a young actor, how to protect my job. It taught me to be able to pick up the lines quickly or to work with anyone or to act from anyone. It taught me a lot about my emotivity and what I can give. It really stressed me emotionally, which was good. It was nice to be challenged.

How could you log out of your character while doing the show?

What I would do to treat myself, I would eat. I like to eat food, so it was a point of contact with what I like to do. I like to explore different restaurants. Meditation was enormous. Prayer was huge. Talking to family friends who know who I am has been a large part of the fight against performance balancing that I had to bring with Justin. It was a bit of my things of refocus.

What part of the show are you the most excited for people to see?

The development of characters from start to finish. They take a roller coaster. But I really think you see Keisha and Justin grow and develop. Justin was a cat so clumsy at the top of the show. One line wrote that Mara in the script was that he had one foot with confidence and the other foot in insecurity. There is like this counterpoint. I thought it was so beautiful that I was able to superimpose this in the show. See [him] Grow everywhere was really special. It was a treat, as an actor, that Mara gave me.

To what extent was this process collaborative?

I would call Mara and I would ask him questions about Justin in pre-production. When we were in production, she trusted us. She gave us space to create, fall flat, be courageous and be daring, make strong decisions, make bad decisions, because [it’s] important to make all the decisions so that we can really break the barrier of fear; Something that could potentially hold us back.

How are you going to learn on the set? Do you like being thrown in it or do you consult someone and do you collect information?

I think I’m a bit of both. Honestly. I am very transparent. I remember that during the very first reading table, it was my first reading table. I don’t know if you are familiar with Number one on the call sheetIt’s like a documentary that has just been released. But I was number one on the call sheet, and I did not understand the severity of this. I looked at Karen [Pittman] and wood [Harris]who has been doing it for a long time. I said to myself: “Hey guys, I am not trained by professionals. I am not trained in a classic way. I have only been in this industry for two, three years. It is as long as I am. I am afraid.” They just gave me words of encouragement. “You are here for a reason.”

What do you like to do outside the action? How do you decompress?

I like to swim. I like to go to the striker and strike with my friends. Possessed with friends and family. I love to read the Bible. This is my favorite book to read. These are things that keep me in the earth and keep me healthy, especially in such a fast industry that wants you to produce.