Michael B. Jordan capped off awards season with wins at the Actor Awards and Oscars in March for his performance in 'Sinners'
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NEED TO KNOW
- Michael B. Jordan told reporters he is “just walking my path” in the press room at the 2026 Oscars after he won Best Actor for his performance in Sinners
- Jordan won his first career Oscar over fellow nominees Leonardo DiCaprio, Wagner Moura, Ethan Hawke and Timothée Chalamet
- Sinners won four Academy Awards on Sunday, March 15
Michael B. Jordan is reflecting on his acting journey after he won Best Actor at the 2026 Oscars for his performance in Sinners.
"I've always focused on trying to do the work. My father always told me don't expect anything to be handed to you," Jordan, 39, told reporters in the press room at the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday, March 15, following his win.
"Do the work, you know, and it will figure itself out," he continued. "There is a selfishness in understanding that in your craft and your industry, this is a pinnacle — our industry standards that we put value in a big way, that competitiveness, we do want that, you know?"
"At the same time, what's for you is for you," the Creed actor added. "And you can't take anybody's blessings away from anybody else. So I'm just walking my path, man, just trying to be locked in. I always encourage other actors and other artists, no matter the medium, to try to keep that in mind and be honest and true, just dream big, man. Dream big and be kind of honest. I'm really big on pouring into the universe. That's how I try to live, you know what I'm saying?"
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Jordan bested Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle After Another), Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent), Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon) and Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme) in the Best Actor category at this year's Oscars. Sinners, which broke an Oscars record for most nominations for one movie (16), went home with four trophies, while One Battle After Another won six, including Best Picture.
Jordan made a late surge in the Best Actor category: he also won at the Actor Awards on March 1. Chalamet, 30, appeared to be the early frontrunner in the Best Actor category after he won at the Golden Globe Awards and Critics' Choice Awards earlier this year.
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In his Oscars speech, Jordan thanked his family, as well as Sinners director and frequent collaborator Ryan Coogler, who won Best Original Screenplay earlier in the night, and costars Wunmi Mosaku and Hailee Steinfeld. (Sinners also won Best Cinematography and Best Original Score.)
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"I stand here because of the people that came before me: Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker, Will Smith," he said onstage. "And to be amongst those giants, amongst those great greats, amongst my ancestors, amongst my guys… Thank you, everybody in this room and everybody at home for supporting me over my career. I feel it. I know you guys want me to do well, and I want to do that because you guys bet on me."
After Sinners, Jordan will next appear on the big screen in his upcoming remake of the 1968 movie The Thomas Crown Affair, which he will direct and star in.