Interviews

Space Jam: A New Legacy Director on Lebron James’ Future in Acting

Lebron James has a big future in acting according to his Space Jam: A New Legacy cast maters and director Malcolm D. Lee.

Justin Alvarez

July 15, 2021

Malcolm D. Lee reveals Lebron James' acting talents off the court.

Space Jam: A New Legacy director Malcolm D. Lee praised NBA superstar LeBron James for his performance in the animated sequel in an interview Dave Morales.

Lebron has dealt with being in front of a camera since he was a basketball phenom out of Akron, Ohio. Lee saw this experience as a positive influence on the athlete turned actor’s performance.

“Since he was 18 years old he’s been in front of the camera,” said Lee. “Whether it’s a reporter or an interview, he’s got to do these great commercials for Nike or Mountain Dew or wherever.”

Aside from general fame and commercial acting, James does have experience in film acting. He was a principal cast member in his 2015 feature film debut Trainwreck. He’s also lent his voice to numerous animated outlets such as The Simpsons and his most recent film appearance Smallfoot.

LeBron James in ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy.’ Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

“He wants to be funny. He loves having fun,” said Lee about his lead actor. “He loves dressing up as different characters and things like that. And so, he takes the job very, very seriously.”

James has been a larger presence in the entertainment industry as his NBA career winds down. According to IMDB, he has earned 39 producer credits since 2015, including a future Friday the 13th reboot. His HBO documentary series The Shop features Lebron and guests conversing on several topics at a barbershop.

The NBA star’s work ethic is something the three-time MVP was able to translate on set for Lee. The director calls this drive “half the battle.”

“[To] get somebody who’s willing to listen and wants to be good, and also to get some of the emotional depth we wanted to get to. He did a great job.”

Space Jam: A New Legacy will be released in theaters and on HBO Max July 16.