The 2020 Sexiest Man Alive is Michael B. Jordan, one of Black America’s most beloved young actors.
The 33-year-old called the honor from People magazine “a good club to be a part of.”
Aside from his good looks, Jordan is being celebrated for his entrepreneurial efforts. His company, Outlier Society Productions, was the first to adopt an inclusion rider, according to People. The rider mandates that projects his production company is involved in will enlist a diverse cast and crew.
Additionally, Jordan was outspoken during this summer’s Black Lives Matter protests against police violence and systemic racism.
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“I think there’s a time and a place for everything,” he told the magazine. “I’ve been picking my moments to make the most impact. We can all take action—big or small—to help create the change we want to see.”
The actor said that the women in his life, especially his mother and aunts, will be especially proud of this honor. He noted his late grandmother collected clippings of his articles and said this is one his family is “going to have a special place for.”
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People asked Jordan about his goals for the next decade. He said he hopes “to be maybe directing a little more, acting less, producing a lot more.”
“Just growing, whatever the next evolution of me is,” said Jordan. “Hopefully a family by then, I’m going to throw that in the universe. I want to make an impact all over the world and not just through the roles that I play.”
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Currently single, Jordan said his family has been a “grounding force” throughout his career.
“My mom and dad sacrificed so much to provide for my sister, brother and me,” he says. “I’m just grateful. Honestly, it’s like they all have had such an impact on me and who I am, and how I approach each day. Without that, a lot of things about me just wouldn’t be the same. So it all comes back to that foundation. I’m really thankful for that.”
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Jordan began his career as a child model. He gained mainstream attention in his role as Wallace on the seminal HBO series The Wire.
He has been nominated and won several NAACP Image Awards, and has been nominated for an Emmy and Screen Actors Guild Award. He last won major acclaim on film portraying badman Erik Killmonger in 2018’s highest-grossest film, Black Panther.
In September, Jordan was named one of TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2020, earning a moment of reflection from Denzel Washington.
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