Jonathan Majors on the Marvel Letter He Sent and Magazine Dreams

The last time Jonathan Majors sat down for rounds of interviews at a press junket, it was late February 2023. He was the fastest-rising star in Hollywood, with his big-screen Marvel debut as Kang the Conqueror in “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” released just ahead of Michael B. Jordan’s boxing blockbuster “Creed III.”

But a month after reaching that pinnacle, Majors was arrested following a fight with his then-girlfriend, Grace Jabbari. Then, in a highly publicized criminal trial, Majors was convicted of reckless assault in the third degree and harassment. As a result, the actor’s career imploded. Marvel fired him, scrapping his character’s multi-picture arc, and several other film projects (including a Dennis Rodman biopic and a movie with Spike Lee) fell apart. “Magazine Dreams,” a searing look at a dangerously unbalanced bodybuilder that had generated awards buzz for Majors after screening in Sundance, was dropped by its distributor, Searchlight Pictures. Hollywood, it seemed, was done with Majors.

Two years later, “Magazine Dreams” is finally going to theaters after Briarcliff Entertainment, the indie distributor behind “The Apprentice,” picked up the project last year. It opens on Friday.

Majors has denied ever being physically abusive with a woman, but an audio recording released by Rolling Stone on Monday, just hours before this interview, calls that into question. In the leaked clip, Majors admits to being “aggressive” with Jabbari in an earlier altercation, where she claims he strangled her and threw her against a car. (Majors and Jabbari settled a civil lawsuit, in which she had accused the actor of assault and defamation, in November 2024). It’s unclear how the audio will impact the actor’s comeback attempt.

The Majors sitting before me now looks different than he did when he was at the height of his movie stardom. He’s physically smaller, for one, having shedded the pounds gained for “Creed III” and “Magazine Dreams.” Majors also has a new tattoo: the word “Rebirth” is scrawled on his neck in cursive. He got inked last year at a New York City tattoo parlor near the apartment he shares with his wife, actor Meagan Good, in Alphabet City.

“I got it on a whim,” Majors says, but explains that the word choice was conscious. It was after the trial, and he was musing over what would come next.

“I had to sit back and go, ‘OK, what are you gonna do now? Are you gonna keep going? And how you gonna keep going?’” Majors recalls. “I said, ‘Well, you’re gonna learn. You’re gonna grow.’ I walked into that tattoo parlor and said, ‘Rebirth.’ That’s what we’re doing.”

What kind of rebirth is he talking about? As an actor in Hollywood? As a man?

“When we’re reborn, you’re nothing, you know?” he explains. “You’re empty. You’re only full of potential. Nothing has harmed you yet. Nothing has broken you yet. You go back to learning; it’s all you have. And that’s where I began.”

Here, Majors opens up — to a point — about the state of his career after the trial, getting dropped by Marvel and whether audiences will still buy tickets for his movies.

After your trial and conviction, some people don’t want to see you in movies again. What’s your response to them?

Everyone has their choice, you know? You don’t want to see the movies, then don’t see the movies. And it’s all love.

This movie came out at Sundance two years ago. How has your relationship to it and to your character Killian changed?

At first it was, “OK, this is the most challenging role I’ll ever get to play.” And then it was shelved [by Searchlight]. I just had to hold it in my head and my heart as an experience. It was still in my body. It was still on my body.

When Briarcliff brought it back up, that was a moment where I was like, “Oh, there’s hope.” And I had to examine that hope, like, “What are you hopeful about? Are you hopeful that you can be in a movie again?” There was just this blanket of hope. Like, if we can get this movie out, it gave me something to hold on to, outside of my family and my faith, that connected me to a community that I love and cherish — the film industry.

Now that it’s coming out, I reevaluated what the movie is. I think “Magazine Dreams” serves as a love letter to humanity in many ways. All parts of us. It’s not all good all the time, but goodness is always there and our natural pursuit as human beings. Sometimes you fall down and make mistakes — as Killian does, and as I’m aware of in my personal life. That’s human and that’s what this story is about.

It’s a tough watch both because of the ways Killian grapples with his loneliness and the ways that people treat him, but also because of the violence and the ways that he struggles with impulse control.

Where do you see violence in the film?

There are a few instances of violence that are perpetrated against Killian — one where he’s pulled out of the car and beaten and another where he’s sexually assaulted. And there’s the violence he perpetrates — at one point, he breaks the windows of the paint shop — where he is out of control. Given everything that’s happened with your trial, do you think people will have a hard time watching scenes like that and separating the art from the artist?

I don’t know. Honestly, unless you’ve seen it and spoke to me, I don’t know what the general consensus is about the picture. I have an idea about what the general consensus is.

Well, there can never be a general consensus about art, and there can never really be a general consensus about people, so I’m not certain how to come at that.

But as far as like, is that scene hard to watch? I’m sure it could be for someone who has a certain understanding or a certain belief about the character or [about] myself. But there are a lot of people who have no idea who I am. And there are a lot of people that do. Art in the eyes of beholder, and how they perceive it, how they see it, that’s the gift that they have. They have the choice. They have the option to feel how they want to feel about that.

In your past roles, we’ve talked a lot about masculinity and how the different projects address that topic. What do you feel “Magazine Dreams” has to say about it?

There’s nothing wrong with masculinity. The issue becomes when it becomes toxic, and that’s something that has to be looked at and examined. The thing about “Magazine Dreams” is that you can kind of see how it happens. For me, and it’s a working theory, the main culprit is loneliness. Anything that’s left alone will fester and eat itself and then devour other things. Loneliness, I understand that.

A big thing about toxic masculinity is that the way you get there — and we, as a society, and I too, have fallen prey to this — the lily pads to it are called “lone wolf,” “Alpha male,” all these very positive attributes.

Those are positive?

They’re positive-sounding attributes. But then you get to the last [lily pad] and now you’re a toxic man. But you’re by yourself, so it’s hard to get back without help.

So, as [Killian is] trying to connect there, I’m connecting through family; I’m connecting through not hiding; I’m connecting through being present with myself, being present with my pastor, learning, growing, these types of things.

Ultimately, he finds a connection. And in my life, in this moment — I’m nowhere close to done — but I understand the value [of connection]. I reconnected to my own heart — not just the part of my heart I use for work or the part of my heart that I use with my child, but the real part, the communal part. That’s the conversation around masculinity now. And positive masculinity engenders a gentleness and understanding of oneself and others, which can derail any conflict or impulsiveness.

Much of your message about softer masculinity has seemed targeted at Black women. As you’ve come through the trial, how have Black women received you?

We’re gonna talk straight, right? How do you receive me, as a Black woman?

I have questions. It’s hard to reconcile what I’ve heard and seen — even today, when I listened to the Rolling Stone audio — with how you behaved with me in past interactions. I’m unsure what to believe about the type of person you are.

Well, I reckon the rest of the sisters are in the same boat.

Have you heard that from people?

I have not, but I imagine people aren’t going to walk up to me and say [so]. My experience with the queens in my life — first and foremost, my fiancée Meagan [Good], who is quite the opposite, extremely supportive, extremely present, extremely loving and caring — a lot of the queens I run into in the street say, “Hey, we love you brother. Keep your head up.” I’ve prayed with countless Black women on the street corner in New York City. I feel that love and I feel that support, and I’m so grateful for it. They’ve kept me afloat. My heart, my spirit, my mind. (Majors and Good married in a private ceremony the day after this interview.)

You have talked about the people who kept you afloat — not only Meagan, but also Whoopi Goldberg, Michael B. Jordan, Will Smith, Tyler Perry. How have they helped you? Have they helped you get jobs or meetings?

My agent sorts that part out. He’s really good at that stuff.

All those people you mentioned — I never worked with Tyler Perry. I never worked with Will. I’m hesitating because I want to protect them. Their support came in connection. Being able to just talk to somebody. You know what I mean?

That’s where things get really hairy. Because when someone falls or where scandal comes, the first thing people do is run away, and the one thing that person needs is people to run to them. But we’re in a world and an industry where it’s commonplace to run away. I understand that. However, it does not necessarily benefit the individual who has struggled.

So, it’s a bit of a conundrum. Even now, I don’t want to … you want to look after somebody. You say the wrong name and, all of a sudden, they’re in trouble. I don’t think that’s fair.

Director Martin Villeneuve hired you for his new project “Merciless.” Where are you at with it?

We’re in pre-production. It’s a wonderful picture about a CIA agent, who has retired and the things that he experienced in his work essentially allows this [supernatural] thing to come onto his wife. So he has to battle to save her and save them. Martin has really put together an incredible team. I’m building back the best I can with those around me who want to make work with me.

I want to ask you about Marvel. Did the company tell you directly that you had been dropped or did you hear that through your team? When is the last time you spoke to Kevin Feige?

I wrote a letter to him. Not recently, [but] not too far in the past.

I just want to clear the record, yeah it sucks. It sucks, right? Like boom, you get the verdict, then boom [you’re dropped], but Marvel’s not mishandling anything by it coming through the grapevine. I got the job through the grapevine. [Kevin] didn’t call me and say “Hey, do you want to do the movie? Do you want to be this guy?” My agent called me and said it. Then an agent of mine — not my agent — got the news, turned and gave it to me straight. So, I reached out to Kevin.

Why did you want to write him a letter?

I just appreciate him. I just love him. I loved my time at Marvel, and I still love Kang. I’m watching them. I see what they’re doing and I’m pulling for them. If they need me, they know where I’m at.

Do you think that there is a world in which they do make that call?

It’s not in my control. I see it clearly. I understand – it’s a publicly traded company. You’re trying to do this; you can’t have this [controversy] around. That’s what happens when this happens. I don’t hold it against them. I want to make that very clear. I’m not upset with anybody about that. I’m not upset at all.

Michael B. Jordan says he wants to make “Creed IV” with you. Will it happen?

Well, we’re both in shape right now; we know how to fight; we know the choreography. It takes a shift in just people, really. But for something like that to happen, I imagine there are people who would have to say, “Yeah, OK, cool.”

What do you think people need to see in order to say, “Oh, we want Jonathan Majors for a romantic lead again.” Because you previously talked about wanting to do romcoms. But given the circumstances, that you were convicted in a domestic dispute, do you think people would be receptive? Can you change that perception?

I can just be me. The me I am, with the work I’ve done, with the people I’ve done it with. Just continue.

So long ago, it was like, “Oh, you got to try to show something. You got to try to try to be a ‘serious actor.’ Be this. Be that. You went to Yale, behave as such. You’re a Christian, behave as such.” All those things, which I understand and I agree with, but I’ve just gotta be me. And I’ve gotta trust the growth that I’ve done and I’m doing will resonate. If it resonates.

Who have you heard from, outside of your circle, that has seen the film? Have you gotten a chance to hear from early audiences? What are they saying?

The people I’ve come in contact with really love the film. They really love the performance of Killian. They feel for the character. They enjoy the art of it.

After “Magazine Dreams” is released, what are your plans?

I want to make art. I want to tell stories. I want to change perspectives and help people through my art. All I know is acting; my passion is in this, and I’d like to share it, but you can’t force that.

The work, the industry, art — I love what we do; it’s a huge part of my life, but it’s not my life. I’m trying to be a better me. I say this all the time: growth as an actor and growth as a human being happens simultaneously. My actor outran my human being. I’ve gotta get my human being to catch up. I wonder what the work will look like when they’re equal. That’s what the rebirth will look like. It’ll be balanced. That’s what I’m focused on now.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.