{"id":672829,"date":"2025-05-31T21:05:20","date_gmt":"2025-05-31T18:05:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/michael-cooper-jr-on-forever-and-whats-next\/"},"modified":"2025-05-31T21:05:20","modified_gmt":"2025-05-31T18:05:20","slug":"michael-cooper-jr-on-forever-and-whats-next","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/michael-cooper-jr-on-forever-and-whats-next\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael Cooper Jr. on \u2018Forever\u2019 and What\u2019s Next"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\tNewcomer Michael Cooper Jr.\u2019s experience on Mara Brock Akil\u2019s coming-of-age drama Forever<\/em> has been life-changing.<\/p>\n

\n\tBased on the 1975 Judy Blume novel of the same name and told through a modern lens, the eight-episode Netflix series<\/a> is an exploration of young love. Cooper plays Justin Edwards, an inexperienced and somewhat awkward L.A. teenager.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cOne line Mara wrote in the script<\/a> was that he has one foot in confidence and the other foot in insecurity,\u201d Cooper tells The Hollywood Reporter<\/em> over a Zoom call, explaining his character who also plays on his high school basketball team. \u201cI thought that was so beautiful that I was able to layer that in the show. To see [him] grow throughout was really special. That was a treat, as an actor, that Mara gave me.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n\tAfter modest parts in 2022\u2019s On the Come Up<\/em> and The Inhabitant<\/em>, a character as resonant as Justin marks his first leading role is an additional gift, Cooper says. Below, the actor speaks with THR<\/em> about Forever, being number one on the call sheet and who he looks to for guidance.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat was working on Forever<\/em> like? What did the experience mean to you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tThe story itself is beautiful. It resonates with so many people. It\u2019s a coming-of-age story. Judy Blume is an amazing creator, and Mara Brock [Akil]\u2019s adaptation, it hits home for me. There\u2019s so much connective tissue, whether it be being a Black man and his experience or being a young man and his first love, those are things that I was able to connect with. Even [the] journey with Justin and his specificity when it comes to ADHD, something I struggle with. Me and Justin aren\u2019t the same. We\u2019re completely different guys. But those are some of the things that really spoke to me, and it honestly altered my perception and how I view the world. Justin\u2019s such an emotional and vulnerable guy, and it seeped into how I perceive things now. It was a gift that I didn\u2019t think that I was going to ever receive from something like that, but it\u2019s been special.<\/p>\n

\n\tCan you share more about working on a show run by Mara Brock Akil? <\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s Mara Brock Akil, do you know what I mean? To be able to even be embedded in something of this measure and to work with her so closely, it really was an honor and an experience. She cares so much about her craft and about her story that it\u2019s palpable on set. It\u2019s this binding thing of passion and love for the story. The reason why I got into acting was of service. I think Mara understands that as an artist, it\u2019s not about you, it\u2019s not about self. It\u2019s how can we serve other people and how can we connect to them?<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tMichael Cooper Jr. as Justin Edwards behind the scenes of Episode 101 of Forever.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tElizabeth Morris\/Netflix<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tHow does it feel to be over the finish line with this season? Have you been reflecting on the experience? <\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s kind of crazy. There has been some lull time. When you\u2019re shooting it, your character kind of seeps in you a little bit. I was like, what is going on? To then come out of it, I went on a cruise with some friends to kind of center myself and to come back to me. ADR is something that most actors have to do, and I vividly remember stepping into the booth and Mara was in the offices in L.A. and she was on the mic. I was speaking in my normal voice, and she\u2019s like, \u201cNo, no, no. You sound like you\u2019re a 25-year-old man from the club. I need you to up the octaves a couple.\u201d I was like, oh, I forgot Justin\u2019s a kid. It\u2019s been this weird thing that we\u2019ve created something, and now the world is about to see it. It feels vulnerable. There\u2019s no words to describe it, but what I can say is it feels like a very intimate experience and now we\u2019re just allowing the world to be let in.<\/p>\n

\n\tGiven it\u2019s your first leading role, this project will likely be a touch point for you throughout your career. Are you feeling that when on set or is it just another day at work?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tHonestly, it just feels like another day of work, not necessarily thinking of the overall picture. You\u2019re so focused on who Justin is and how we can serve the story. You\u2019re not really thinking of anything that falls after. You\u2019re thinking of how can I put my heart [into it]? How can I put my soul and my best foot forward on a day-to-day basis? It\u2019s intense. I\u2019m so new to this. You watch television, you watch movies, you\u2019re like, wow. But there\u2019s so much that goes on. It\u2019s taught me, as a young actor, how to protect my craft. It\u2019s taught me how to be able to pick up lines quickly or to work with anybody or act off of anybody. It taught me a lot about my emotionality and what I can give. It really, it stressed me emotionally, which was nice. It was nice to be challenged.<\/p>\n

\n\tHow were you able to disconnect from your character while making the show?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tWhat I would do to treat myself, I would eat. I like to eat food, so that was a touch point of what I like to do. I like to explore different restaurants. Meditation was huge. Prayer was huge. Talking to family friends who know who I am was a huge part of counterbalancing the performance that I had to bring with Justin. Those were a little of my re-centering things.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat part of the show are you most excited for people to see? <\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tThe development of the characters from start to finish. They go on a rollercoaster ride. But I really do think you see Keisha and Justin grow and develop. Justin was such an awkward cat at the top of the show. One line Mara wrote in the script was that he has one foot in confidence and the other foot in insecurity. There\u2019s like this counterpoint. I thought that was so beautiful that I was able to layer that in the show. To see [him] grow throughout was really special. That was a treat, as an actor, that Mara gave me.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tMichael Cooper Jr. attends Netflix\u2019s Forever <\/em>Los Angeles Special Screening and After Party at TUDUM Theater on May 6, 2025.<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tKayla Oaddams\/Getty Images for Netflix<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tHow collaborative was this process?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tI would call Mara, and I would ask her questions about Justin in pre-production. When we were in production, she trusted us. She gave us the space to create, to fall flat, to be brave and be bold, make strong decisions, make wrong decisions, because [it\u2019s] important to make all the decisions so we can really break the barrier of fear; something that could potentially hold us back.<\/p>\n

\n\tHow do you go about learning on set? Do you like being thrown into it, or do you consult anyone and gather information?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tI think I\u2019m a little bit of both. Honestly. I\u2019m very transparent. I remember at the very first table read, it was my first table read ever. I\u2019m not sure if you\u2019re familiar with Number One on the Call Sheet<\/em>, It\u2019s like a documentary that just came out. But I was number one on the call sheet, and I didn\u2019t understand the gravity of that. I looked to Karen [Pittman] and Wood [Harris], who\u2019ve been doing it for a long time. I was like, \u201cHey guys, I\u2019m not professionally trained. I\u2019m not classically trained. I\u2019ve only been in this industry for two, three years. That\u2019s as long as I\u2019ve been acting for. I\u2019m scared.\u201d They just gave me words of encouragement. \u201cYou\u2019re here for a reason.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat do you like to do outside of acting? How do you decompress?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tI like swimming. I like going to the batting cage and batting with my friends. Hanging with friends and family. I love reading the Bible. It\u2019s my favorite book to read. Those are things that keep me grounded and keep me sane, especially in an industry that\u2019s so fast-paced and wants you to produce.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Newcomer Michael Cooper Jr.\u2019s experience on Mara Brock Akil\u2019s coming-of-age drama Forever has been life-changing. Based on the 1975 Judy Blume novel of the same name and told through a modern lens, the eight-episode Netflix series is an exploration of young love. Cooper plays Justin Edwards, an inexperienced and somewhat awkward L.A. teenager. \u201cOne line…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":672830,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Michael-Cooper-Jr-POI-temp-publicity-H-2025.png?w=1440&h=810&crop=1","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[156810,99836,156811,134358],"class_list":["post-672829","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-mediaa","tag-forever","tag-judy-blume","tag-judy-blume-forever","tag-person-of-interest"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/672829","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=672829"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/672829\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/672830"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=672829"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=672829"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=672829"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}