Michael B. Jordan has admitted that he took more than just memories away from the set of Ryan Coogler’s horror film Sinners.
The actor, 38, revealed that he also snagged props from the set to remember his characters, twin brothers Elijah “Smoke” and Elias “Stack” Moore. He is now the owner of his characters’ lighter, grills, hats, dice, and cigarettes, Jordan told the Desert Sun at the Palm Springs International Film Awards Saturday.
The accessories in Sinners were just a few of the colorful details that painted the 1932 setting of the vampire-ridden thriller, which saw Jordan’s characters returning to their Mississippi hometown to start a juke joint after getting in trouble with the Chicago mob. The box office hit also starred Miles Caton, Hailee Steinfeld, Jack O’Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, and Delroy Lindo.
Jordan said that he was initially hesitant about taking on the dual role when Coogler approached him for the movie, telling CBS News in an interview published Sunday: “I’m a do what?’ I think it was a little bit of anxiety, I think. A little bit nerves. But then, equal amount of excitement.”
He went on to receive the Icon Award at Saturday’s ceremony for his performance in the movie, which has also landed him nominations at the Critics Choice Awards and the Golden Globes.
The actor told the Desert Sun: “The headspace for me is one day at a time, one step at a time, one event at a time.” He went on to tease his upcoming project as a director and actor, The Thomas Crown Affair, saying, “I’m in the middle of editing as well, so I’m kind of dipping between the two, which is a nice break a little bit from all the noise, kind of keeps it about the work. It’s double duty, but it feels good to start something off on the right foot.”
Jordan is known for his collaborations with Coogler, including on movies like the Creed series, Black Panther, and Fruitvale Station. Last year, he told New York Magazine that he was unsure of his career before he started working with the filmmaker.
“Am I a TV actor? Where am I going? And I was like, Man, I just want an independent film. I can show what I can do, and I just need to know if I could carry a film or not, if I could be a lead,” he told the outlet at the time.
