Jonathan Majors, Glen Powell and the Cast of 'Devotion' Salute the Movie's Real Heroes

The Los Angeles premiere of "Devotion," starring Jonathan Majors and Glen Powell, served as the salute to the legacy and lineage of Korean War heroes Jesse L. Brown, the Navy's first African-American aviator, and Thomas Hudner, his devoted wingman, as well as a celebration of the family bonds forged during filming.

"This movie, in many ways, is a family effort," says director JD Dillard , featuring the film's cast and crew to a packed house inside the Regency Village Theater in Westwood on Tuesday night. "We all moved together like the boys going to war to make this movie."

Dillard then asked the few dozen descendants of Brown and Hudner present to rise for a salute of 'applause. It's overwhelming to share these moments with families, Dillard told Variety on the red carpet, but, he added, "There's no other way to do it."

"My job, among other things, was to get this story out to more people, and in the process of doing so, make sure we keep intact what their legacies are," Dillard explained. "This film is the answer to that promise."

In keeping with the family theme, Dillard was accompanied by his own father, Bruce Dillard, a pioneer, like Brown , who became the second African-American pilot to fly with the Navy's Blue Angels. For the premiere, the director also requested that another family member be included - Brown himself.

"One of the first things I did after I finished was to tell the producers that I think we need Jesse's Corsair [plane, at the premiere],” Dillard said, of the vintage plane Majors piloted in the film – painted with Brown's number, 211 – which was parked upstairs. from the red carpet.

"Jesse being the furthest from our lives, it was just the right thing to honor him in this way," Dillard (Brown was killed in action in the Korean War) explained. "I'm really touched that we were able to get this plane down here."

Completing this mission took some effort. Black Label Media, which produced the film, worked with the film's aerial coordinator Kevin LaRosa II to fly the plane to Los Angeles and tow it to Westwood for the premiere. There he made the perfect backdrop for a harrowing photoshoot with the cast (which also includes Christina Jackson as Brown's wife Daisy, as well as Thomas Sadoski, Joe Jonas, Spencer Neville, Nick Hargrove and Daren Kagasoff, representing the airmen who made up Brown and Hudner's squadron, the "Flying 32") posing with Tom Hudner III (Hudner's son) and Jessica Knight Henry (Brown's granddaughter).

"Devotion" director JD Dillard (center) with Tom Hudner III (son of Thomas Hudner) and Jessica Kn...