'Of The Essence:' Michael B. Jordan And Ryan Coogler Interview

Director Ryan Coogler and actor Michael B. Jordan have worked together for close to a decade, beginning in 2013 with Coogler’s feature directorial debut film, Fruitvale Station. The unstoppable duo have gone on to collaborate on blockbuster projects like Black Panther, Creed and now Sinners, Coogler’s highly anticipated horror film, which will hit theaters on April 18. 

Coogler and Jordan shared reflections on their career journey and the brotherhood they’ve developed beyond the entertainment world during an honest interview on Of The Essence, released on April 2.

In their heartfelt conversation, Jordan commended Coogler for boldly highlighting the nuances, joy, and complexities that Black communities often experience through his lens. 

“I think you’re doing a great job. The characters and the stories that you choose to tell, and what you want to put your lens on to, I think you know it’s been very personal,” the 38-year-old star shared. “The culture and the community, when they watch your movies and your films, they see a piece of themselves, of what is, what has been, and what could be. It’s not an easy thing to do, and you’ve been doing it to the highest level. It’s been great to be a part of.”

Michael B. Jordan shared that Sinners marked his first experience working on a horror film

Coogler, 38, tapped Jordan to star as the leading man in his new film Sinners, a supernatural thriller set in the 1930s South. The film stars Jordan in a dual role as twin brothers who return to their hometown but are faced with a greater evil threatening to tear everything they know apart. Coogler knew the role would be challenging for his bestie Jordan as it was his first time acting in the horror genre, a film category that the talented star doesn’t “personally gravitate to.”

“I don’t enjoy being scared,” Jordan revealed when Coogler asked the Hollywood hunk why he didn’t like scary flicks.

“What’s your go to when you’re scared? Do you throw the popcorn up?,” Coogler joked as the pair burst into laughter. 

Jordan went on to share that despite his disdain of horror films, he had fun on set with Coogler and the cast. 

“Most of the time we had to stop ourselves from laughing. Yeah, it was so much fun, like the most dire moments [were] the most fun and the most comical. I would say the one thing that I did not look forward to is the blood element—the sticky blood. It was tough,” Jordan added. 

Coogler expressed his gratitude to Jordan for pushing him to grow through the years of their working together, highlighting Jordan’s unique ability to add depth to a character that Coogler may not have fully explored in his script or considered as part of the larger story.

“That’s a very necessary aspect to the craft of acting. Where the challenge comes into play is when actors bring things that maybe I haven’t thought of as a writer, and sometimes it might be an improv line, or sometimes it might be an instinct of what’s not needed, or [an] instinct for what is needed and I can think of a few times where you have a thought about something being false, or maybe a blocking thing,” the director shared. 

“I find you to be really, really great at that. And in those moments, it is challenging…I think a big part of becoming better at my job is understanding this is where the good stuff is. It’s the natural charisma that you bring, but it’s also the discernment, the discernment for what’s a false moment, for what’s maybe not needed, for maybe what is.”

Coogler added, “You know, it’s a lesson right, that when this happens, man you listen, open your ears up. See what this artist is trying to say or put across.”

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