Michael B. Jordan Explains the Poignant Message Behind Just Mercy: "It's So Timely"

If you haven't watched Michael B. Jordan's new movie, Just Mercy, yet, please do yourself a favour and buy your tickets now. The biopic tells the powerful true story of Harvard-educated Bryan Stevenson as a young criminal justice lawyer, and during a stop on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Wednesday, the actor explained why the film is so important.

"It's so timely. It takes place 30 years ago, but it could have happened yesterday," Jordan explained, referring to the inequality of the criminal justice system in America. "It's a human thing at this point. It's the humanity element of it all. The reputation and the stigma that's been put on black and brown people in this world, especially in this country, is unfair. And they say slavery ended, but it just evolved. It just evolved over time and we have to change the narrative."

Jordan and DeGeneres were later joined by Stevenson himself and he talked about how it felt to have Jordan portray him in the movie. "He is so talented and he is so gifted, but he is also deeply committed to these issues," Stevenson said of Jordan. "It's been a great honour to see him on the screen. He does an amazing job, but an even bigger honour to get to know him and appreciate his extraordinary talent and beautiful heart." Watch the full interview above.