Today, moviegoers may have the prospect to bear witness to the story of Jesse Leroy Brown, the primary Black aviator in america Navy history. Devotion, starring Jonathan Majors within the lead role, centers Brown’s love of flying, matched only by his love for his family and his will to defy the ignorance of the time in pursuit of his passion. The chance to be a component of sharing that narrative is one Majors considers special.

“[Jesse Brown] was the primary Black naval aviator in a time where the primary of anything was difficult but to be the primary him was that way more difficult, so to step into his shoes meant a terrific deal,” the actor told ESSENCE on the red carpet for the second annual Academy Museum Gala in Los Angeles this past October.

Glen Thomas Powell Jr. also stars within the biographical war film, which is an adaptation of Adam Makos’ book, Devotion: An Epic Story of Heroism, Friendship, and Sacrifice, together with Christina Jackson who portrays Brown’s wife, Daisy. The possibility to portray the spouse of the primary Black naval aviator was a singular one for her as well. “Once you first get to the page within the script where we’re meeting Daisy in the home, she’s described as Jesse’s anthem and as his heartbeat,” Jackson told ESSENCE. “That made me sit up a bit bit. I had never read an introduction to a personality like that.”

On Veteran’s Day earlier this month, Brown’s granddaughter, Jessica Knight Henry, shared an essay with ESSENCE about love and loss and the way her family has worked to maintain her grandfather’s legacy alive over time. It’s a responsibility Majors now feels he shares.

“Pushing his legacy forward might be probably the most responsible I’ve felt for somebody’s legacy outside of my very own,” he says.