Michael B. Jordan has been named PEOPLE’s “Sexiest Man Alive” for 2020. The 33-year-old actor has shot to international prominence over the past few years, most recently starring in 2019’s Just Mercy and the upcoming 2021 Tom Clancy adaptation Without Remorse. Jordan will take the “Sexiest” mantle from singer/songwriter John Legend, who was awarded the honor last year.
While Jordan’s career and celebrity have exploded in recent years, his work on screen stretches back long before he was a household name. As a young actor, Jordan appeared in recurring roles on popular TV shows like The Wire and Friday Night Lights, while also playing episodic characters in serials like Law & Order and CSI. Jordan’s leap to superstar status came when he began collaborating with director Ryan Coogler – first in the critically-acclaimed Fruitvale Station, and later in Creed and Black Panther.
Now, Jordan can add “Sexiest Man Alive” to his impressive resume of achievements. PEOPLE selected the star as the latest to receive the title, whose past recipients include Idris Elba, Dwayne Johnson, Chris Hemsworth, and Ryan Reynolds, among others. In his interview, Jordan attributed his success largely to the support of his parents and the rest of his family, while also looking ahead optimistically to the future of his career. “Directing a little more, acting less, producing a lot more,” might be in the cards down the road, according to Jordan, who said he wants to “make an impact all over the world and not just through the roles that I play.”
In that mission, he’s already well on his way. Jordan has been highly active in the movement for social justice this year in the wake of the killings of black Americans like George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery, and his own production company – Outlier Society Productions – has been a forerunner in pushing for better diversity in the industry on both sides of the camera. Jordan also took an active stance promoting voter registration and turnout leading up to the 2020 US Presidential Election.
The annual “award” from PEOPLE is representative of just how well-respected and influential of a star Jordan has become since the premiere of Fruitvale Station. Hearing him declare his interest in more directorial (Jordan is set to helm Creed 3) and production roles in the future is particularly exciting given his proven artistic drive and capability as a leader in the industry. Fans can look forward to a lot more exciting work from Outlier Society Productions, which now has the added perk of being run by the Sexiest Man Alive.
Source: PEOPLE