Michael B. Jordan has said he drew inspiration from his late friend Chadwick Boseman while taking on dual roles in Sinners, a vampire thriller directed by Ryan Coogler.
In a New York Times interview, Jordan, 38, and Coogler reflected on their bond with Boseman, formed during the making of Black Panther in 2018. Boseman passed away in 2020 at age 43, and both men said his influence continues to shape their creative work.
“There’s not a lot of us doing what we’re doing. With Chad, it felt like we finally had a little squad, you know? It went from being the two of us to three. And then it went back down to two again,” said Jordan, who first partnered with Coogler on 2013’s Fruitvale Station.
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Jordan added that Boseman’s “influence has stayed with us, even on Sinners.”
“I remember we were doing a camera test early on, when I was still finding my way into the characters, and Coog reminded me of what Chad did with T’Challa [in Black Panther] — how he really leaned into that character and embodied him throughout the shoot,” said Jordan. “I said, ‘Say no more,’ and from then on, the performance was done in that light.”
In the same interview with the Times, Coogler, 38, said Boseman’s death “messed everybody up” and “might have messed [Jordan] up the worst.”
“The thing is,” added Coogler, “this is a tricky business to navigate, like any business, and nobody looked out for us like Chad.”
Jordan recently told PEOPLE that he drew on his personal relationships with siblings and close friends to authentically portray the dynamic between his twin characters in Sinners.
“I’ve got a brother that I’m extremely tight with and close and love a lot, and best friends that are like brothers,” said the star, who has younger brother Khalid and older sister Jamila.
It was all about, he explained, “imagining those dynamics and incorporating that into the body double that I was acting opposite, and premeditating those choices because once I do one, I have to go on the other side and play the other brother and I’m already going against a performance that I already did before.”
“There was a technical aspect and an emotional level of building these characters that was challenging but very rewarding,” added Jordan.
After Boseman’s passing in August 2020, Jordan honored him as “my big brother,” expressing deep sorrow and adding, “I wish we had more time.”
“One of the last times we spoke, you said we were forever linked, and now the truth of that means more to me than ever,” Jordan wrote on Instagram at the time. “…You showed me how to be better, honor purpose, and create legacy. And whether you’ve known it or not…I’ve been watching, learning and constantly motivated by your greatness.”
Sinners is in theaters now.
