Los Angeles, May 29 (IANS): Actor Michael B. Jordan says he did not want the audience to see him die in most of the roles he played, which is one of the reasons why he at first backed down from working in "Fahrenheit 451".

Jordan plays Guy Montag in the film, which is based on Ray Bradbury's 1953 dystopian novel.

"Being a black man, I didn't want to play somebody who's an oppressor. "I just didn't want that in my head," Jordon told hollywoodreporter.com.

"After sitting down with the director Ramin Bahrani and knowing Michael Shannon was going to be a part of it , he's an incredible actor, and understanding the vision and themes and messages he wanted to send through the movie, I was like, 'Okay'," he added.

Jordon says the role enticed him because he got to "survive through the third act."

"I didn't want the audiences to keep seeing me die in roles. And my mom, every time I watched her watch me die onscreen, it tore me up. I just wanted to play a role so she could see me win," he said.