Michael B. Jordan opens up about a powerful lesson he learned after stepping away from one of the most intense roles of his career.
While reflecting on his time playing Erik Killmonger in Marvel’s 2018 blockbuster Black Pantherthe actor revealed that the role stayed with him long after filming wrapped and ultimately led him to therapy.
talking with CBS Sunday morningtold Jordan that he needed time and professional support to fully detach from the character.
“After the movie, it kind of stuck with me,” he said.
“Went to therapy, talked about it, found a way to just decompress. And I think at that point I was still learning that I needed to decompress from a character.”
Jordan explained that acting can often be an isolating process, both emotionally and physically, which made the experience even more intense.
“Acting is a solo journey a lot of times,” he added.
“For the audition alone, practice yourself. There’s a lot of preparation and the experience and the journey. So I learned as I went, [realised] that, ‘Oh man, I’ve still got a little thing on, I’m going to get off.’ You know speech is really important.”
The Creed star said the difficulty in letting go came from how deeply he immersed himself in Killmonger’s mindset before filming began.
During the preparation, Jordan isolated himself and limited communication with his loved ones. The emotional distance reflected the character’s own pain and anger.
“Erik didn’t really know much love. I don’t think Erik experienced that,” Jordan explained.
“He had a lot of betrayal, a lot of failed systems around him that shaped him and his anger and his frustration.”
Jordan starred Black Panther alongside the late Chadwick Boseman, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Daniel Kaluuya, Winston Duke and others under the direction of Ryan Coogler.
The film became a cultural milestone and a massive success, earning $1.34 billion worldwide upon its February 2018 release.
Looking back, Jordan’s experience highlights the emotional weight actors can carry when they fully commit to complex roles, and the importance of mental health care to help them move forward.
