Jonathan Majors on ‘Magazine Dreams,’ Marvel, and What's Next: "There’s No Playbook for Redemption"

Jonathan Majors has had one of the most tumultuous years in recent Hollywood memory. After a meteoric rise through prestige films and blockbusters like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, his trajectory was abruptly interrupted by an assault conviction in December of 2023 to his then-girlfriend, Grace Jabbari, and, more recently, the leak of an audio recording during the same week his long-awaited film Magazine Dreams was set to release. The scandal nearly derailed his career. Now, as Majors reenters the spotlight against a backdrop of scrutiny, he’s opening up candidly about carrying the weight of what comes next.

If there’s a theme that runs throughout our conversation, it’s that survival is just the start. Majors, who calls Magazine Dreams “the film that cost the most to make,” both physically and emotionally, isn’t hiding from the fallout. He’s “metabolizing it” and turning inward. The film, a gutting portrayal of an isolated bodybuilder named Killian Maddox, becomes a vehicle for Majors to talk about toxicity, manhood, and the darkness that creeps in when we disconnect from others and ourselves.

“It took everything,” he reflects of the role. “But it gave me back a version of myself I hadn’t met yet.” That version is still raw and building. He’s been quick to admit that there were moments he nearly gave up entirely—on his career and on himself. But in that quiet, he says, came a voice: “Just a tiny little voice that said, ‘Don’t give up.’”

Part of that rebirth—literally inked on his neck, which he got earlier this year—is tied to actress Meagan Good, whom he married just days before our conversation. She’s not just a partner, he says, but a mirror, a guide, and “the first person I could fully connect with again.” Their life together now includes therapy, routines, and plans for the future, including building a family and a lifestyle project rooted in spirituality, fitness, and community.

Still, the shadows haven’t disappeared. When the audio leak surfaced (again, days before our interview), Majors says he felt shaken—but grounded. “I was grateful I’d already done the work,” he says, referencing the internal unpacking he’d begun throughout the years before the audio clip surfaced.

On the topic of Marvel, Majors tells me he still hears from castmates quietly, in what he calls “vestibules of communication where no one can be shamed for speaking to me.” He’s written to Kevin Feige, not to ask for anything, but to thank him. Whether he returns to the MCU or not, Majors is already thinking about his future, on his terms.

“I just want to grow,” he says, eyes steady. “Be a great father. A great husband. A great son.” The cape can wait. The real role he’s preparing for now? Himself.

(This interview has been edited in length for clarity.)

‘Magazine Dreams’ was considered an Oscar contender before it was shelved. Now that we’re here, over two years later, how are you feeling about everything?

Jonathan Majors: I'm so grateful this film is coming out. As far as I'm concerned, it is the film that cost the most to make. It was a small budget, and the thing with a small budget is it means everybody, right? Like all these fellows here that are working the cameras, they have to work twice as hard to bring the film to fruition in a way that is up to industry standards.

We worked four times as hard to make this film, and of course, it doesn't help when the lead falls down globally. That doesn't help. So it took us extra effort to get it out into the world. So Elijah Bynum was our director, Adam [Arkapaw], our DP, they worked so hard on it. Everybody did. So now to have it come out, I'm just so grateful, man. I believe it's a beautiful piece, and this is the time for it to come out as God's plan.

The bodybuilding world is often seen as hyper-masculine, but I feel like this movie peels back on the layers of vulnerability. What do you think Magazine Dreams reveals about masculinity that other films haven't yet explored?

JM:  If I was to pick one thing, I would say what we highlight in Magazine Dreams is the isolation. We're isolated in a way that's not the Dark Knight. It's not just Batman. But what you see in our picture, particularly with Killian, is what happens when a man is shelved and is dealing with isolation. Men need other men. I believe that men need other people. People need people. And here we have a character who can't, for multiple reasons, connect to other people. And so here comes this isolation. 

When you sit something by itself for a long time, something real, something organic, it grows mold; it becomes toxic. That's what we touch on, this hyper-masculinity that can lead to toxic masculinity. 

You once said that playing Killian Maddox was the “most expensive role” you've ever taken on, both physically and emotionally. If you had to put that cost into words, what did it take from you and what did it give back?

JM: So the way I operate, every film, every character I take on, I pour everything I have into it. I used every single thing that I could think of. I used all of myself. What did it take? It took everything. It made me express my body in a way I've never expressed it. It invited me to use my emotions in a way that I've never had to use them. I have to go into myself in a certain way that I've never really had to do before. 

And what did I gain from it? Well, eight pounds, that won't go away. And I'm not mad about that. Deltoids, I'm not mad about that. But I also learned the lesson. 

If you're going to give all that, like in physics, something has to come back to you. And what came back to me from the film was me being able to say a few things. The company and the cast, we did what we all thought was impossible, and we achieved it. It also gave me insight into what isolation really is and how it can really be damaging. Killian was in therapy before I was in therapy. And I go, “Oh, maybe I should do that.” And I love it now. But that curiosity, right? Now, did those things get applied right after the picture? Maybe they began, but we weren't in full tilt then. But we definitely are now.

There was a moment you wanted to give up on yourself. What ultimately pulled you back from that feeling? Was there a specific moment you remember, or was this a gradual progression over time?

JM: I couldn't do it, right? I couldn't do it. I got to a place where everything was just so bleak and dark, and I was having bad dreams and couldn't sleep and wasn't eating,

But it was one moment, the moment, I thought, “Just hang it up, bro.” Groupthink is real, and groupthink is influence. And even if the thought is valid or invalid, you feel it, especially when it's about you. And so I had a choice to go with the crowd – but something in me, I can't even say, it's not necessarily a person or this or that, but something in me just said there's more.

Don't give up. Don't give up. And then here comes Meagan [Good]. And to have a partner that can lay down there with you in the dark, but then she had the strength to go into the light and push us forward. And I slowly could try to get there, and I failed – many, many times. We couldn't move. I couldn't move. I was paralyzed, but the choice was made by something greater than me. I'm not going to preach, but God wouldn't let me go. He said, “You're tripping, man. You're tripping. This is hard. It is going to be hard.” And it continues to be hard – but get up. It wasn't my ego, it wasn't my rah-rah. That was gone. Just a tiny little voice. “You can't give up.” 

We often hear about “cancel culture” versus “accountability.” What do you think Hollywood gets wrong about handling actors who are trying to rebuild their lives amid scrutiny?

JM: Well, if I'm being honest, it's work, right? Hollywood, the glitz, the glamor, the art. We don't look at the person. It is not just Hollywood. That's high school. That's any group of people. So it's not a novel thing, what can happen in Hollywood, but it's actually quite common. But I think it’s not what we get wrong, but what's incomplete, actually saying, “I think there are more versions.” 

It is case by case by case. And I think what has happened, there's like a canceling kit. Is that play valid? Probably. Sometimes. But it's incomplete. I think there should be something afterwards. These people have to live. If we're going to be in a business that is about flesh and blood, we should always be operating from flesh and blood. Doesn't mean you've got to put 'em in another movie. But I think my question would be, “What do we get from that?” Safety? Maybe you get to dispose of your fear. Maybe that's cool too. But I have to sit with that. I don't have a solid answer for it, but it's a gnarly situation.

Thinking of it as “incomplete” vs. “incorrect” is an interesting way of looking at it. I do think things move very quickly nowadays. 

JM: And that's okay. It is what it is. It just might be a little incomplete, but it is interesting because that means we’ve got somewhere to go. We have to stay hopeful. I love my industry. I love what we do. I absolutely love it. 

You have a new tattoo on your neck that says “rebirth.” You’ve said it represents “starting fresh and being full of potential again.” Is there a specific version of yourself that you're trying to return to, or is this a blank slate type start for your life? 

JM: It's growth. I'm currently pruning parts of myself that can stop me from growing. It's not necessarily a reset. You want to remember everything you've experienced. That way you can learn from it. Not learning, that's losing. So I'm trying to learn a lot, and I've got to learn a lot quickly. In a way, it's a full on examination of things that need to die. And that's a hard thing to say, but there are parts of you that need to die, need to fall away in order for something better, something kinder, something more beautiful, something more helpful to emerge. 

When you look back on this tattoo ten years from now, what do you want it to remind you of?

JM: Endurance, persistence, resilience. Birth is difficult. I hear there's labor involved, and so that process continues every day you wake up. It's a rebirth. 

I want to shift gears a little bit to talk about Marvel. Have you had the opportunity to speak with any of your former co-stars, or has it been quiet on that side?

JM: Well, now we get into the world of like, “Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh.” Yeah. The answer is yes. Directors, castmates. Definitely. I got congratulations from a few of them. A couple days ago when the Magazine Dreams trailer came out. I had a really nice one from a really cool buddy. His last name is “Man.” But no, they've been around in our quiet vestibules of communication where no one can be targeted or shamed for communication with me.

You recently opened up about the letter you wrote to Kevin Feige. What inspired you to reach out to him directly?

JM: I really respect the man, and what he's trying to do is extremely difficult. He literally is the architect, and he trusted me and he gave me a job. He changed my life. My letter to him, I won't go into the details, but it was just to let him know, “I appreciate you,” and “I know this is hard,” and “I'm here if you need me.” But he's got a million other things going on. So it was like a little flare.

Have you heard back from him since sending that letter?

JM: No, I haven't. But what are you going to do? That's all I needed. There are no question marks in the message. I wasn't asking him to do anything. I was just letting him know, “Hey, man, I understand. I feel you.” I love Marvel. Love, love, love, love, love Kang and all my variants.

If there's no future for you at Marvel, is there another franchise or story that you’d be interested in joining? Maybe DC?

JM: Yeah. I mean, yeah, of course. I just love acting. I love the stories. I love the worlds that they build. That's the beauty of being a part of, at least while I was there, they made a couple pictures since I've been gone. But Loki, season one, season two, we built incredible worlds. I've kept my eye out to see what's going on, how it's going. I still care about 'em. I'm still tracking it. But yeah, of course. Of course. I'll take a cape, right? Bring the green screens back.

I want to shift again to the audio track that was released this week. Over the past several years, you’ve had the opportunity to rebuild your image, to work on yourself. When something like this comes out during the week of your film's release, how did that make you feel?

JM: I was so grateful that I had done my work and am continuing to do my work because, I mean, I can't speak to it, but obviously you're talking about it there. Vibrations, reverberations, same as everything before. But I was happy I'd done my work. I was happy I'd done my work.

Several Hollywood stars – like Michael B. Jordan, Matthew McConaughey, Whoopi, Will Smith, Tyler Perry – have openly come out to support you. What does that type of support mean to you? 

JM: Listen, it is phenomenal. Those are phenomenal people, and they know me. It felt like these letters, these thoughts, they're not to the industry. To me, they're saying, “Hey, man, where you are now, we believe in you.” It means a lot. It lets me know, alright, I'm on the right track. I'll keep going that way.

Michael B. Jordan also recently said that he'd love to do Creed IV with you. Have you two had the opportunity to talk about what that might look like yet?

JM: I mean, yes, actually. Yeah. We'll leave it at that.

If Creed IV doesn't happen, though, what's the one thing you'd want to say to Michael about your journey together so far?

JM: Well, we don't know if it's going to happen, but what I would say to Mike is, “Hey, salute bro. I love you more than he knows,” that he's my friend and he's my brother, and he's a hell of a man and anybody that can stand up for his brother, that's a brother. We throw that word around. But that's my brother.

You've credited your now-wife, Meagan Good, with helping you during this time. How has she influenced your growth as a human?

JM: She's there every day. She can reflect back to me how it's going. I was under the ground, and she just was patient with me, and she would reflect back to me. She was the first person I could do that connection with fully. I can talk to her about things you don’t talk about in groups. I just bring that to her, like “Hey, what do you think about this?”

And then, I mean, love. Being loved does a lot. It does a whole lot. It triggers something in someone that is positive. Love is addictive. Kindness is addictive. You want to be happy. You have joy. Practice it. And that's something I get to do every day with her. I get to practice kindness. I get to practice gentleness. I get to practice all these things so I can get better at it.

Now that you two are married, what's the one thing you're most looking forward to doing as a husband and wife?

Loving her and just letting that grow. Inviting maybe some more little Majors babies to the camp, but loving her. We offer each other so much growth, and that's what I'm on right now. I just want to grow. I just want to learn. I just want to grow. I just want to be a great father. Just want to be a great husband. Just want to be a great son.

Well, it sounds like the Majors family could be growing in the near future. You both are working in entertainment. Have you two talked about doing a project together?

JM: Our life is our project, but no, we do have something cooking. We're really working on it. It's this thing called Honor Culture. It’s in development, but it's an online platform and fashion line that invites the user to train the mind and the body and look cool while they do it. So a fitness and spirituality guide, that's a big part of it, but the other part of it is culture. The things I've learned in these past couple years about community, about unity, about how to live, there's no instruction manual for that, right? How to live and how to be healthy. Mind, body, soul. That's something we're working on. It's a lifestyle business venture, and it will be out very soon. Keep an eye. Stay tuned.

You mentioned wanting to dedicate the next 20 years of your life to your career. What is the first step in making that happen?

JM: There are things I cannot control, most things. The only thing I can control is myself in this seat. Lemme explain that for a second. My relationship to my art is that of ministry, calling, occupation. It's how I reach people. It's how I tell stories. I believe in art. I believe art is the thing that reminds us of who we are and what we can be as human beings. I'm dedicating myself to that. Not getting back to Marvel, not jumping to DC, not that, though those things would be cool. 

So what that looks like is working with young actors offset, trying to help them prepare themselves for what this industry is. The good, the bad, the ugly, the beautiful, the divine, all of it. Making art, making real pieces that I believe in that I feel will make a positive influence on society at large, globally, if I can. Theater, film, television. These are the things I know how to do. So I'll start with that.