All American’s Michael Evans Behling Talks Jordan’s Journey, Favorite Jordayla Arc, and Teases the Final Season

Jordan Baker is one of the few original characters who’s been with All American since it began.

He’s evolved from a brooding teenager into a confident football coach who mentors teens in a way his father, Coach Billy Baker, would be proud of.

I’ve watched All American since the beginning, so it was an honor to chat with Michael Evans Behling about Jordan’s growth, his friendships with his castmates, and some of his favorite scenes.

Jordan may experience some rocky roads as the All American story draws to a close, but I’m as confident as Michael is that he’ll weather them.

Check out our interview below.

I’ve loved All American since the beginning, so this is an honor to talk to you.

That’s fantastic to hear.

You’ve been there since the beginning. How would you describe Jordan’s journey?

How would I describe Jordan’s journey? It’s small. It is full of growth. We take this kid, who, to some degree, doesn’t really know who he is, and who is following in his father’s footsteps because he wants to make him as proud as he can.

We finish the series with him, a husband, a friend, and someone people can look up to and count on. I would say his journey has been filled with tremendous self-work,  growth, and love.

I think his journey is something that we can be proud of because it’s not linear. He might take two steps forward and three steps back, but he’s always doing his best to try to better himself.

I love that. And what has it meant to you, both the journey and forming these wonderful friendships over the years?

Oh man. The friendships have been fantastic. I’ve got brothers and sisters for life now, and I feel really fortunate in that regard.

I was reminded of that many times on set by members of the crew, bass members telling me how it’s not normally like this. This is the first big set that I was on. I’ve been on others since then, and they were absolutely right. It’s not always like this.

And so to be able to have that, have people that have your back that are in your corner, and I’m in theirs, it feels lovely.

The journey for me has just been about growing up on this show, around these people, with this character, and some of the things he went through reflected parts of my life at times.

I was able to use that almost as therapy, look inward a little bit more, and feel the things he was feeling on screen and in myself, which was really beautiful.

I love that. And looking back, what would you say was your favorite scene, and what was the most challenging scene you’ve worked on throughout the series?

I still think the most challenging scene I’ve ever done was in All American Season 1 Episode 12.

Olivia’s overdose in a flashback. That was probably the most challenging scene I’ve ever had to complete, as it hits home for my family and some of its members.

I can remember the director telling me on the set, Hey, you can save it. We’re going to go tighter. And I was like, yeah, no, I understand. The emotions were coming out of me.

As far as my favorite scene, it’s tough to pinpoint a favorite scene. Any of the scenes on the football field is my favorite for a long time. I know for the last few years, I’ve had a chance to play and advance Jordan’s football career.

I think that Jordan and Layla’s wedding was pretty beautiful. That was a wonderful two days we spent shooting that.

Yes. I love Jordan and Layla’s wedding. I know it’s a huge fan favorite. That flashback of Liv was always one of my favorites. I’m a huge fan of Olivia and Jordan’s sibling relationship.

I’m glad that you say that. It’s one of mine as well. I think Samantha and I quickly formed a fun banter.

As far as siblings go, I grew up with a sister, and I have two brothers, and so tapping into that wasn’t too out of the ordinary for me, but it was really, really lovely. I feel like Samantha and my chemistry has been a big draw.

Yes. Now the fans want to know: what is your favorite part of Jordan and Layla’s romantic journey?

I think it was All American Season 5 when they each realized that they had feelings for one another. They were doing the whole Chandler-Monica thing and sneaking around and keeping the relationship a secret because they were trying to figure out what it was at first.

I think that was a really fun time for Greta Onieogou and me. That whole arc of that relationship was really fun.

Then, just being married, living in that newlywed world, and trying to navigate life as a young married couple has been fun as well in the later seasons.

How would you describe their relationship in All American Season 8 in three words?

Oh my gosh, you stumped me with three words alone. I don’t want to give because I don’t know if you’ve seen the first episode or not, but there’s a level of misalignment, rekindling love; I’ll say that.

Okay. Adding to that, how do you think they’ll manage their marriage after being separated for six months?

I think that they’re just going to have to sit down and face the music, face it head-on. There’s nowhere to run. 

They both realize that about halfway through the season, there is nowhere to go and that they have to really lock in and figure it out together. When they do that, it becomes really beautiful.

Can’t wait. I really like them. And as you mentioned, Jordan has grown into being a successful coach and role model, and I’ve really enjoyed seeing him mentor Khalil. What can you tease about what we’ll see with that and his growing family relationship with Cassius and KJ?

Well, first of all, I’m so glad that you love Jordan and Layla. That’s fantastic. I love to hear that.

 What can I tease? Khalil realizes that maybe he does need to worry, especially with his SAT results coming in and about his future, and they have that conversation at the bench, where he reminds Jordan that his privilege is showing.

And I think Jordan steps up to the plate, immediately goes back to Cassius, and is more motivated with his plan because he wants to help Khalil. We’re going to do the combine, and we’re going to make it work, the championship showcase, rather.

 So I think that, in being there for Khalil the same way Billy was there for Spencer, he is going against what he wants to do with Cassius, as far as their family dynamic works.

They shouldn’t involve work, but Jordan risks that to help Khalil in the end. It ends up making everything flow a little better with family, even through some rocky roads. Don’t get me wrong, but things do flow.

Yes. So, are hints from the last six months going to be peppered throughout the season, then?

Yes, absolutely. There will be some moments when we tap back into the last six months and see what these characters have been doing.

As you see in the first episode, there’s no flashback, but you hear all the things that Jordan and Cooper have been doing — smash and crash, etc.

That is a shock to Layla. But there will be moments you wouldn’t normally see, just because we did have a time jump.

What do you think the fans will like most about this final season?

The fact that it’s a must-watch, the fact that this is our way of putting a bow on this beautiful series, sending off these characters.

This final season takes place over a week, obviously with the flashbacks, but I think that’s going to really drive audiences to tune in a bit more, because everything is so heightened in this last season. Everything is so heightened in this last week, and you’ll see why very quickly.

Can you tease out which of the original characters will be making appearances?

Yeah, absolutely. Samantha Logan will return as Olivia Baker, and Daniel Ezra will return as Spencer James. I can’t say how many episodes there will be, but they’ll be back.

Well, we can’t wait because they were part of what made the original few seasons so great. And I’ve grown to love the new cast too. So I’m really excited about the final season.

That’s good to hear. We’ll have some surprise appearances as well, but I cannot release those. So yeah, people have a lot to look forward to in our final season.

All American Season 8 airs on Mondays at 8/7c on The CW.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Interviews like this take time and care — and we hope it shows.
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