Deon Cole witnessed Jonathan Majors step into his method acting bag while filming 2021 western drama The Harder They Fall.
The two were costars in The Bulliitts-directed Netflix movie, with Cole having a supporting role as Wiley Escoe and Major played lead character Nat Love. On a December episode of podcast Finding the Funny, the former black-ish star recalled Majors’ acting in The Harder They Fall, and shared that even when they weren’t on set the actor remained in character.
"He would not get out of character," Cole said about Majors around the 41-minute mark of the episode below. "I was at Shell gas station one day, and just heard a horse and looked out. I'm not bullshitting, dog. ... I was buying some chips and shit, and I looked out. And this n***a's getting off a horse, dog. On a Sunday.
"We wasn't even shooting," Cole continued. "He got off spurs, had holster, came in the gas station, got water and shit, and I'm thinking to myself, Should I speak to him? Because I don't want nobody knowing I know him. But [he] saw me, and he was like, 'Hey, what's up? I was just like, 'You tell me what's up.'"
As Cole explained elsewhere on the podcast, actors are encouraged to “dive into the character” they’re playing, although this reportedly got the best of Majors during his time on other acting projects. Majors, who was found guilty of misdemeanor assault and harassment in 2024, has allegedly had an extensive pattern of aggressive behavior on set, which was detailed in a Rolling Stone exposé in 2023.
Majors’ attorney Dustin Pusch responded to the story, per IndieWire, and denied that the entertainer “physically, verbally, or emotionally abused anyone.”
“The allegations that Mr. Majors got physical with or physically intimidated anyone on any movie set are downright false,” Pusch stated. “Everyone who has worked with Mr. Majors knows that he employs an immersive Method acting style, and while that can be misconstrued as rudeness at times, those who know Mr. Majors and work in the industry have attested to his dedication to his craft as well as his kindness.”