Clayne Crawford Reveals How He Became Friends With Jeffrey Dean Morgan - Exclusive

As a producer, Clayne Crawford is taking control of his career, and that means having more say in hiring exciting actors, directors, and writers for the projects he makes. For his new movie, "The Integrity of Joseph Chambers," Crawford reunites with director Robert Machoian, who was also responsible for 2020's "The Killing of Two Lovers." When it came to his co-stars in the indie flick, Crawford instinctively knew that Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Jordana Brewster would be perfect.

Shot entirely in Crawford's hometown in Alabama, "The Integrity of Joseph Chambers" is about a family man wrestling with his own masculinity and his ability to protect his family. While Brewster plays Crawford's wife in the film, Morgan is the local police chief. Speaking about the movie, which premiered at Tribeca Film Festival, Crawford tells The List, "As a producer, as I'm building Back 40 Pictures, I want to make sure that we have a slate of unique, different films and that I'm not falling into the same category each time."

In an exclusive interview with The List, Clayne Crawford reveals how he became friends with Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and enlisted him to appear in "The Integrity of Joseph Chambers."

Clayne Crawford loved working with Jeffrey Dean Morgan on "The Integrity of Joseph Chambers," and he has "One Tree Hill" star Hilarie Burton Morgan to thank for that. As Crawford reveals to The List, "Jeff's wife, Hilarie, she was there on that ['Lethal Weapon'] set with me. [That is] another incredible bond. I love her dearly and I was able to meet Jeff a few years ago and understood why she fell in love with him." He continues, "He's got such a big, beautiful heart, and he loves to play. He loves creating and being an actor, which is exciting." 

As well as forging an instant connection with Morgan, Crawford also reunited with his former "Lethal Weapon" co-star, Jordana Brewster, for the new film. "I'm grateful that they both said yes and came out during the middle of a dadgum pandemic in the middle of Alabama," he explains. "It was lovely, and I'm glad Jeff and I got to play together, because we've been talking about doing it for some time." 

Fans of both Crawford and Morgan will be hoping that this isn't the first and last collaboration between the pair, and Crawford feels exactly the same. "Now, I'm trying to find something where we can have a little bit more time together on screen," the "A Walk to Remember" actor says. "I had Jeff in Birmingham for 24 hours. I flew him in, I shot him, and then we flew his butt back home ... I was like, 'We've got to be bank robbers or do something, man, [where] we're in the whole movie together.' We're discussing that and figuring out what that path looks like."

"The Integrity of Joseph Chambers" premiered on June 9, 2022 at the Tribeca Film Festival and on Tribeca At Home.