Originally appeared on E! Online
Michael B. Jordan’s time in Wakanda was far more complex than he expected.
The “Black Panther” actor, who starred as Erik Killmonger in the 2018 film, revealed that he went to therapy after he noticed his character left an unnerving impact on him.
“Yes, it kind of stuck with me for a bit,” Jordan, 38, told CBS Sunday Morning in an interview published Jan. 4. “[I] went to therapy and talked about it, found a way to kind of just decompress. At that point, [I was] still learning that I needed to decompress from a character.”
After all, the “Sinners“ alum didn’t just explore his “layered antagonist” by studying the script. He also prepared for the role through method acting, admitting he spent a lot of time “isolated” from his family to capture Killmonger’s personality.
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“Erik didn’t really know a lot of love. I think Erik didn’t experience 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. And looking at history and how it would seem to always repeat itself, and how was he going to break that cycle.”
Though he nailed Killmonger’s nuanced view of the world — and ultimately, his relationship with Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa — Michael recognized he was still living in his character’s mindset after the film’s release.
“I think that spiraled into a bigger conversation and self-discovery of, ‘Okay, I think that’s something that’s necessary for people.’ Especially men,” he noted of thoughts after he started therapy. “I think it’s good for them to go and talk. That’s something I’m not ashamed of at all, and very proud of.”
The “Creed” star added, “It definitely helped me [try] to be a good communicator and a well-rounded person, inside and out.”
While Jordan is grateful that he found himself again, he’ll always cherish his connection to the Marvel franchise and Boseman. In fact, he honored his late costar — who died in 2020 from colon cancer — when he received a posthumous star on the Walk of Fame last November.
“That was special. I couldn’t have planned it any better,” Jordan told E! News of the heartfelt celebration that month. “Chad was a special person and for him to be honored and remembered the way he is, hearing people talk about him, makes me feel full and happy.”
