When Michael B. Jordan received his very first Oscar nomination this week, there was only one person he thought to call: his mom.
The 38-year-old actor, who has been nominated for Best Actor for his dual role as twins “Stack” and “Smoke” in Ryan Coogler’s hit vampire flick “Sinners” (which racked up a record-breaking 16 nominations), opened up to The Hollywood Reporter about the honor and what his emotional phone call to his mom, Donna, was like.
“My mom was my first call,” he shared with the outlet.
“It was great. A lot of tears and the reason why I’m even in this industry and why I’m acting at all, why that was even an idea,” he continued. “To talk to the woman who started it all, first, meant the world.”
It’s hardly surprising that she was his first call, when Donna was also his date to the Critics’ Choice awards earlier this month, where he was also nominated for Best Actor but lost out to Timothée Chalamet, who took home the award for “Marty Supreme.”
“I’ve been in this industry for a long time. I’ve admired and seen the Academy and the other actors in the movies and filmmakers that I’ve looked up to and been inspired by my whole life,” Jordan told The Hollywood Reporter. “To be in those conversations and in that company is a solidifying feeling.”
Meanwhile, the actor said the moment has been “crazy,” and that he’s still “digesting” the milestone. He also revealed he had yet to speak to the man responsible: Coogler. According to Jordan, the two were playing phone tag on the morning of the announcement.
As for how he’s celebrating, he didn’t have solid plans to report at the time, but he hinted there would be “signs of a celebration.”
“Sinners” not only landed Jordan, who has been in the industry since the late 90s and early 2000s, a coveted first Best Actor nomination, but it also earned his co-stars Wunmi Mosaku and Delroy Lindo Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor nods, respectively. Coogler also picked up nominations for screenplay and Best Director, in addition to a slew of other categories, including costume design and cinematography.
“It’s really a testament to the film as a whole and all the pieces involved, and the people that went to go see this movie and watched this film. It meant something to them and they felt something,” Jordan reflected on the film’s historic recognition. “To see how it resonated throughout the year with people, man. For all of these pieces to be singled out and acknowledged and honored with the nomination, it’s something that’s really hard to put into words right now.”
