Michael B. Jordan Also Cried Watching Sinners

Michael B. Jordan disappeared so fully into the dual roles of identical twin brothers Smoke and Stack in Ryan Coogler’s Sinners that even his own mother didn’t recognize him. “My mom was taken aback! She didn’t see me, her child, which is the biggest compliment,” Jordan says. (Though, he’s quick to note, the costumes by Oscar-winning Ruth E. Carter helped aid in the transformation.) It’s an impressive feat for the 38-year-old, who first broke out as Wallace on The Wire when he was just 15. After more than a decade of Coogler and Jordan’s creative partnership, which has given audiences Fruitvale Station, Creed, and Black Panther, to name a few, Sinners marks a new career high for Jordan, earning him his first-ever Golden Globe nomination.

How did Sinners come into your life?

When my longtime collaborator and friend Ryan Coogler called and broke down the premise of Sinners to me, he said, “Oh yeah, by the way, you’ll be playing identical twins.” That took me back for a second. It definitely presented a challenge, and I had a little bit of anxiety. But I was equally excited about doing something that pushed me out of my comfort zone.

The twins, Smoke and Stack, are both so different. Was that mostly in the script, or did you come up with those differences yourself?

Ryan is an incredible world builder, so those were all on the page. There were subtle nuances and behavioral tics that I found along the way, but the personalities of them, for the most part, were on the page.

Stack definitely cared about his appearance—he had his nails done, hair done, was a real ladies’ guy. Smoke is more the caretaker, the older guy, so he didn't really care about that. In my brain, Stack was the one who dressed Smoke and cut his hair. He would say, “Hey, man, you’ve got to present yourself, look nice.”

Who do you like more, Smoke or Stack?

That’s tough. Stack is probably closer to me, while Smoke is more of a departure from myself. But there’s something about Smoke. I’m not a father, but the idea that he loves his family and taking care of everyone, and making sure everybody is safe, that’s something I can identify with.

Your costar, Wunmi Mosaku, told me she worked with a hoodoo expert for the film. Did you work with anyone to prepare for your parts?

I did. I worked with twin consultants and also actual identical twins. I got a chance to really pick their brains and understand the nuance of being an identical twin. I also did some chakra and spiritual work to determine where Smoke and Stack held their childhood trauma and how that informed their posture and their speech cadence.

What did you learn about twins through the process?

Usually with twins, one is really good at something that the other one’s not good at because they're codependent. They’re always around each other, so why would they need to get good at something when their brother is excellent at it? So it's cool to find those deficiencies and also additives that really make identical twins special. I also found that twins can have similar dreams—they’ll dream the same thing from different perspectives. The connection between identical twins is hard to explain.

Which film makes you cry?

I cried during Sinners. I also cried during the making of the film. Also, Armageddon gets me every time. I dropped tears in Armageddon big-time. I had a really good cry watching the last season of the anime My Hero Academia, when Bakugo, a character from the first season, has this emotional moment where he finally gets recognized by one of his mentors and idols. It was beautiful.

Do you have a favorite reality show?

I do not. Growing up, Food Network was on 24/7. So I used to watch cooking shows all the time, like Iron Chef, Beat Bobby Flay, Top Chef, and Emeril Lagasse. I have not had an opportunity to really dive into the Love Island of it all, but I’ve seen enough clips online to get the gist of it.

As a result, you are a good cook. Do you have a signature dish?

I do these Merlot–poached pears, which are pretty special—and kind of healthy, besides the sugar that you put in. It’s a nice dessert. I was just in Italy for the past month, eating nothing but pasta and pizza, so I would say pasta is probably one of my favorite dishes to make.

Hair by Jove Edmond; skin by Tasha Reiko Brown for Chanel at the Wall Group.

Style Director: Allia Alliata di Montereale. Codirector: Frank Lebon. Director of photography: André Chemetoff. Hair by Jawara for L’Oréal Professional at Art Partner; makeup by Lauren Parsons for Sisley Paris at Art Partner; manicure by Jolene Brodeur for Dazzle Dry at the Wall Group. Set design by David White at Streeters.