Over two decades after his debut, Michael B. Jordan has finally clinched an Oscar nomination for his role in a horror film where he stars alongside Hailee Steinfeld and Wunmi Mosaku
All about Michael B Jordan’s movie that’s leading Oscar nominations this year(Image: Variety via Getty Images)
Michael B. Jordan’s new film Sinners has sweeped the 2026 Oscars nominations list.
The 98th Annual Academy Awards are almost here, with several of Hollywood’s finest, including Jacob Elordi and Timothée Chalamet, amongst the nominees list, representing their outstanding performances in films that saw tremendous box office success this year.
A few projects gained more recognition than others, including Frankenstein and One Battle After Another. Both films have dominated the nominations list, gaining the most nods, just behind Michael’s Sinners. The horror movie is leading with 16 nominations, breaking the Oscars record for the most ever for a single film.
Sinners released last April, when the 39-year-old actor, who is up for Best Actor, took the big screen playing two characters: Elijah “Smoke” Moore and Elias “Stack” Moore.
The storyline is set in the 1930s and follows the twin brothers as they try to return to their hometown in Mississippi. They attempt to establish themselves once again as the business owners of a nightclub for the Black community.
Michael B. Jordan is nominated for Best Actor at the Oscars(Image: AP)
Despite their efforts, their plan goes wrong when they run into the town’s racist power structures and a “gaggle of blood-sucking” supernatural creatures.
Michael is joined on-screen by Miles Caton, Omar Benson Miller and Li Jun Li, as well as Hailee Steinfeld and Wunmi Mosaku, both of whom play the twin brothers’ love interests.
When the actor was first presented with the opportunity, he was unsure of his ability to pull off the task of two identical twins.
“That took me back for a second, he told W. “It definitely presented a challenge, and I had a little bit of anxiety. But I was equally excited about doing something that pushed me out of my comfort zone.”
Michael created “subtle nuances and behavoiral tics” to distinguish the two.
Wunmi Mosaku played Michael B. Jordan’s love interest in Sinners(Image: Alamy Stock Photo)
The actor’s portrayal of each character turned out to be so distinct, his co-stars were always able to tell them apart. Wunmi confessed she “never got confused.”
“I could tell if he was Smoke or Stack with my back turned. We had this kind of magnetism when he was Smoke,” she recalled. “And when he was Stack, we were on the other side of the room. It was his cadence, his rhythm, his energy, his spirit, his face. Stack has dimples, and Smoke doesn’t.”
His own mother couldn’t recognize him either.
“My mom was taken aback! She didn’t see me, her child, which is the biggest compliment,” the actor confessed.
Sinners has 16 Oscar nominations(Image: WARNER BROS)
The making of the film took a toll on the lead. Michael admitted, “I cried during Sinners. I also cried during the making of the film.”
Nevertheless, after receiving praise throughout award season, he sees the emotional rollercoaster as well worth it.
While speaking to Extra, he expressed his “gratitude” for the recognition, saying he’s honored “to be acknowledged by our peers and other actors that we admire.”
Michael concluded, “Man, I just don’t want it to stop. I don’t want it to end. I want to continue to do this over and over and over again. So yeah, it feels good.”
