Two Michael B. Jordans, one surprise win.
At the 2026 Best Actor Awards, the “Sinners” star beat out likely front-runner Timothée Chalamet to win Best Actor for his role as gangster twin brothers fighting an uninvited group of vampires.
“I don’t even know where to start. I never expected anything like this,” Jordan said on stage on Sunday, March 1, after accepting the award from a delighted and shocked presenter, Viola Davis. After thanking the other nominees, Jordan reflected on his experience as a child actor, longing to be part of the Screen Actors Guild “club.”
“That kid from New Jersey is standing here right now,” Jordan said. “Mom, thank you for driving me to New York when I didn’t have enough money to go through the Holland Tunnel.
“Just being in this room right now with so many of you who have watched me grow in front of the camera makes me feel the love and support you have always given me,” he continued. “I just want to say thank you. This is so great.”
Jordan topped the acting category alongside Leonardo DiCaprio (“One Battle After Another”), Ethan Hawke (“Blue Moon”) and Jesse Plemons (“Bugonia”). On January 22nd, when the nominations for the 98th Academy Awards were announced, he was nominated for the Oscar for Best Actor for the first time.
Jordan, 38, broke out on TV with notable roles in series such as The Wire and Friday Night Lights, and his film career has been a mix of populist and thought-provoking work.
He frequently collaborates with Ryan Coogler, appearing in all five of Coogler’s films: Sinners, Fruitvale Station, Creed, and both Black Panther films.
To develop the dual roles of the scheming Stack and the more serious Smoke in Sinners, Jordan told USA TODAY last spring how he thought about the “childhood trauma” that influences their personalities and coping skills.
“One person smiled (and) talked himself out of it and convinced himself it wasn’t so bad. And the other person probably had a more accurate memory of what actually happened and came from a more responsible place. Two survival instincts, just different approaches.”
Jordan creates a strong connection between the two, despite their differences, and there is a folkloric element.
“They were vampires before there were vampires in movies,” he said. “They are immortal. They will not die.”
