As People Magazine’s reigning Sexiest Man Alive, Michael B. Jordan has Hollywood in the palm of his hand. Doing successful projects such as Black Panther and the Creed films gave him the license to do whatever he wants professionally. The actor has received countless offers to take on certain gigs. But Jordan recently revealed why he said no to a lot of roles.
As one of Hollywood’s hottest commodities, Michael B. Jordan can choose which roles he wants to tackle. Having acted since he was a teenager, the actor tackled multiple roles with his breakout role coming in 2013’s Fruitvale Station. Since then, Jordan has been offered certain roles including Black historical figures. The actor explained to Men’s Health why he turned down such roles since Fruitvale Station:
I’ve passed on a lot, because I can’t play every Black historical figure. There’s other amazing, talented actors out there that should have opportunities for those.
With Hollywood pushing certain roles on him and not others, Michael B. Jordan decided to create his production company Outlier Society. He spoke on creating opportunities for untapped talent in the film and television industry:
One of the reasons why [I started] the production company was I wanted to be able to open up the doors for other people that haven’t had those shots that maybe couldn’t see the pathway or the move to make in order to carve out their piece.
His selection of roles and creating a production company was inspired by his role in Fruitvale Station, according to Michael B. Jordan. Given the trajectory of his career, Jordan has made the right moves as he takes on multiple hats in the industry. He’s been able to play a mixture of characters (real and fictional) where he stole the show. But his film selection can be attributed to his role as a producer, as evident by the varied projects within recent years. He continues to evolve as a creative by hopping into the director’s chair for Creed III. That choice again showed the foundation Jordan is laying out for himself and others in Hollywood.
Turning down roles so others can have a chance spoke to Michael B. Jordan not only as an actor but as a person. He appears to be following in the footsteps of late Black Panther co-star Chadwick Boseman. As told by Jordan and others he worked with, Boseman was a very giving person on the set (albeit having played some key historical figures). Much like Boseman, Jordan has been able to hop from films such as Black Panther to No Mercy to Without Remorse seamlessly. All this while providing other opportunities especially with upcoming projects and his Amazon deal.
Fortunately, Michael B. Jordan hasn’t been typecast by Hollywood unlike some Black actors have in the past. As evident by his work, Jordan is following in the footsteps of Denzel Washington and Will Smith in terms of career longevity and craving out his path. Being selective and starting his company has put him on that track.
