Jonathan Majors is one of my favorite actors having their moment right now because he seems to be enjoying every damn second in the limelight. He has every reason to be, too, because he’s a damn unicorn, as Variety puts it since he’s starring in movies that are number one (Creed III) and two (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania) at the box office right now, respectively. That is incredibly rare!
I’ve very much been enjoying his press tours for the movies, he’s been a delight. The man has charisma and a natural charm. None of this seems like tedious work for him, even if it might be. It’s all so effortless and genuine. Just look at this interaction between him and Creed III co-star Michael B. Jordan:
Also, I’m with Majors. Drake, when literally any other rapper is on the table? To each their own, I guess.
This all leads me to this fantastic and touching segment on the Tamron Hall Show last week, when Tamron reunited Majors with one of his earliest supporters, his acting teacher from college and—just have your tissues, ready, OK?
Did you lose it when his teacher Ashley Gates Jansen said: “It’s a dream come true watching your dreams come true”? I definitely did, and so did Majors, who could barely say anything other than to express his gratitude to Gates, and to promise her he’d call her later.
We also learned that his mom calls him “JBoo” when he said she’d tell him to “get it together” which was a cute, funny moment when he was trying to pull it together after becoming overwhelmed with emotion. Celebrities have so much media training and Majors has done back-to-back promotions for two major Hollywood blockbusters, that to see him overcome with genuine emotion was a truly touching moment. It was clear this was an unexpected and touching experience for him and he was unable to control his emotions.
If you’re lucky, and I hope you have been, you’ve had one or two teachers in your life that have made an impact on you, and helped get you on the right path in life. They showed up for you, believed in you, and saw the raw potential in you, as Gates did in Majors. The fact that years later, Gates showed up to show her love and support for Majors is a testament to the dedication to her career and impact she had on him, and we should all be so lucky to have a teacher like that in our life.
(featured image: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)
