Killian Maddox is creation and destruction. The disturbed bodybuilder, played by Jonathan Majors in “Magazine Dreams,” can snap at any moment. Just like Majors, according to his past partners.
In 2023, Majors’ art mimicked his life. He was found guilty of striking his ex-partner Grace Jabbari and fracturing her middle finger. After attending his court-mandated domestic violence intervention program, Majors looks for a comeback with Maddox at his side.
“My first impressions were: [Maddox] is extremely misunderstood,” Majors said. “He has experienced parts of humanity that some people haven’t and that’s made him very unique in what and how he sees and how he moves through the world.”
The same could be said about Majors. Majors’ father was absent for the majority of his childhood. When he went to find other role models, he was sexually abused multiple times. Strangely, in “Magazine Dreams,” Maddox also had an absent father, given that he died, and got sexually abused by his idol, Brad Vanderhorn.
While Majors may look to separate himself from his violent on-screen persona, confronting their shared pain may be his path to healing.
It’s hard to push away the person who made the name Jonathan Majors synonymous with an Oscar in 2023.
Critics hailed his performance as Maddox when “Magazine Dreams” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival before his conviction. Searchlight Pictures bought the picture for $10 million thinking the Sundance U.S. Special Dramatic Jury Award winner will rack in Oscars. Instead, it brought controversy.
Searchlight shelved the project ahead of Majors’ trial as Marvel fired him from his ongoing role as Kang the Conqueror, who was seated as the studio’s next big villain. Majors’ rise to stardom then crashed. He was stuck in limbo.
Majors’ only upcoming character was Maddox. The challenged athlete was part of Majors’ mind. As he spent more time with and grew to understand Maddox, he began understanding himself.
“The effort that [Maddox] takes in trying to be understood, those are two things, as an actor and a human being, that are the most important to me,” Majors said. “I don’t really care if you agree with me or not. I just need you to understand what it is.”
Maddox made Majors realize he needs to talk to his reflection.
Like clockwork, Maddox flexes in front of a poster of his idol and takes steroids to create the perfect highlight reel. He looks into the camera lens, and his reflection stares back. Maddox hates what he sees.
“It’s not until those two things, the inner and outer self, can really contend with each other and have a conversation that you can really be understood by other people and yourself,” Majors said. “The conversation with Killian and myself was really important.”
With his wife Meghan Good’s hand held in his, Majors looks to confront his pain and turn it into peace. In “Magazine Dreams,” Maddox takes a weapon: a semi-automatic rifle he bought online.
Storming into Vanderhorn’s bodybuilding show, Maddox makes it to the backstage, inches from Vanderhorn, gun in hand. He watches his assaulter flex, the spotlights making every perfect muscle glisten, as millions of cameras flash.
Though this moment can be seen as the pinnacle of Maddox’s violent urges, Majors swears he’s never violent in the film and incapable of man to man violence.
“He has a firearm in the entire third act of the picture, right? And he doesn’t use it. That’s something we need to hang our hat on,” Majors said. “The amount of restraint and control he has, even for someone that society wants to label as extreme.”
Maddox then decides to leave the theater. He later disassembles the weapon before throwing it on train tracks. At home, he switches the posters of Vanderhorn to pictures of himself. He flexes in front of a mirror before the screen fades to black, showing he’s become his own idol.
Majors searches for that peace while promoting Maddox’s. Most actors speak to The Hollywood Reporter or go on talk shows to strengthen their chance for an Oscar. Since Majors feels that opportunity is out of the window, he speaks not only to show his growth, but to lift others.
“The level of artistry in this film, not just from Killian, but all the other characters and filmmakers involved, they deserve their flowers,” Majors said. “So, I’m just out here trying to do that.”
To keep being part of the industry, Majors looks to accept all the “uncomfortable” places or interviews it throws at him. To shut that out would be to limit his growth, he says.
“You can’t respect something that is mangled and unrecognizable,” Majors said. “The journey of this picture is him trying to put himself back together.”
While Majors continues a similar journey, he prepares to lead Gerard McMurray and CAT5’s action film “True Threat.” Alexis Garcia, the Miami-based, CAT5 head, looks forward to possibly being the first to bring Majors back to the silver screen.
Though the spotlight on “Magazine Dreams” will soon fade, Maddox can linger in Majors’ mind as a bittersweet inspiration on his path to redemption.