Michael B Jordan has been building toward a performance like “Sinners” for over 20 years. Now he has the best actor Oscar as his reward.
Jordan got one trophy for playing identical twins Smoke and Stack in the blues-seeped supernatural horror film set in 1930s Mississippi that earned a record 16 Academy Award nominations.
Last year's winner, Adrien Brody, announced Jordan's name Sunday night, setting off a wild celebration inside the Dolby Theatre. Teyana Taylor, a supporting actress nominee, joined the standing ovation, mouthing, “Yes!” “Whew, man,” Jordan said, clutching the trophy.
Jordan is the sixth Black man to win the best actor trophy. He joins Will Smith (“King Richard”, 2020), Forest Whitaker (“The Last King of Scotland”, 2006), Jamie Foxx (“Ray”, 2004), Denzel Washington (“Training Day”, 2001) and Sidney Poitier (“Lillies of the Field”), who was the first in 1963.
“I stand here because of the people that came before me — Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker, Will Smith,” he said, “and to be up amongst those giants, amongst those greats, amongst my ancestors, amongst my guys, thank you everybody in this room and everybody at home supporting me over my career.”
Also read: 'One Battle After Another' gets best film honour at 98th Oscars
Jordan added, “I know you guys wanted me to do well and I want to do that because you guys bet on me, so thank you for keep betting on me. I'm going to keep stepping up, and I'm going to keep being the best version of myself I can be.”
The other nominees were Timothee Chalamet in “Marty Supreme”, Leonardo DiCaprio for “One Battle After Another”, Ethan Hawke of “Blue Moon” and Wagner Moura in “The Secret Agent”.
“Sinners” reunited Jordan and writer-producer-director Ryan Coogler. They go back to their first collaboration in 2013.
“You're an amazing person,” Jordan told Coogler from the stage. “You gave me the opportunity and space to be seen.” Jordan's breakthrough film role came in Coogler's “Fruitvale Station” for which he received critical praise playing a real-life man who was killed by police. It was Coogler's directorial debut, and they followed with “Creed”, “Black Panther” and now “Sinners”.
Jordan, a 39-year-old who also produces and directs, was born in Santa Ana, California, and grew up in Newark, New Jersey.
In a pop-culture moment, he was named People magazine's “Sexiest Man Alive” in 2020.
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