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Then I chuckled and told him that women all over the country would soon have a crush on him. I said we hoped to remind people of the power of everlasting love, of the patriotism that unites us and hopefully of the resilience that is possible after unspeakable loss. I sat talking to my Charles, telling him we were on a mission with our movie. Canedy said, adding that the Oscar-winning actor is a family. I slumped to the ground and hugged the fake tombstone, tears running down my face.ĭenzel held my hand and said softly that he wanted to give me time there alone before the cast and crew arrived. Charles Monroe King keeps a journal for his newborn son while stationed overseas. The cinematic adaptation of A Journal for Jordan, which opened this past weekend, was a passion project for Mr. That day in Arlington, I could not breathe for a second as we approached the spot where we would be filming. His mother lived there and said after he died that she needed him close by. It was a prop for the scene Charles is actually buried in a cemetery in his hometown Cleveland.
#Journal for jordan driver#
I got in his car, not sure where his driver was taking us until I saw a headstone with my Charles’s name on it. Preparations were being made to film on that hallowed ground when Denzel called out to me, “D, let’s take a ride.” The early-spring day last year when we filmed a memorial scene in Arlington National Cemetery was one of the hardest of my life. But I also remember the time I sobbed when Jordan covered his eyes at 18 months old and said, “Peekaboo, Daddy.” And I recall him clomping around the living room as a boy in his dad’s shoes. Helping to develop the script brought flashbacks of the glorious two-week vacation when Charles came home to meet our baby boy. Jordan is 15 now and is proud that the film credits say, “Based on the writing of Charles Monroe King and the book by Dana Canedy.” At times, though, I wonder how he is really processing the experience. Jordan with a screenplay by Virgil Williams, A JOURNAL FOR JORDAN is based on the true story of First Sergeant Charles Monroe King (Jordan), a.
#Journal for jordan movie#
I also worry about the impact of the movie on my son. Directed by Denzel Washington and starring Michael B.
#Journal for jordan full#
Listen to trailer music, OST, original score, and the full list of popular songs in the film. Because Charles and I were engaged but not yet married, shopping with my girlfriends for a gown and preparing the theater seating chart felt like planning the wedding we never had. Find all 20 songs in A Journal for Jordan Soundtrack, with scene descriptions. After Denzel sat with me for a private screening of our film, I dreamed I was fighting in the war alongside Charles and watched helplessly as he was shot dead in a hail of gunfire.Įven the excitement of planning the premiere brought pangs of pain. While I am often so exhausted that my exercise bike has become an expensive clothing rack, some nights I fight sleep to keep the nightmares away. Juggling all the competing demands on my time, along with film promotion, can be challenging. A sweeping account of a once-in-a-lifetime love, the film is a powerful reminder of the importance of family and the all-too-human cost of war.I am a producer on our film but also a single mother with a rewarding but demanding job as publisher of Simon & Schuster’s flagship imprint. Back at home, senior New York Times editor Dana Canedy revisits the story of her unlikely, life-altering relationship with King and his enduring devotion to her and their child. "Sergeant Charles Monroe King, a soldier deployed to Iraq who begins to keep a journal of love and advice for his infant son. As for Adams' Dana, she continues to raise their son and reflects on their life-altering love story.įor more details, here's the official synopsis: There, he writes about their once-in-a lifetime love and offers advice, for the many lessons he wants his son to learn.
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Their relationship is tested once he's deployed to Iraq, but the journal keeps him grounded in their love - especially when it comes to their infant son, Jordan.
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"A Journal For Jordan" tells a story of "love beyond words," when an unlikely romance ignites between a journalist (Adams) and a soldier.
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