Considering Michael B. Jordan's success in the entertainment industry, it is hard to imagine that he came close to quitting acting.
The Black Panther star recently revealed that he almost gave up on his acting career when he first moved to Los Angeles. The famous actor opened up about his struggle finding someone to represent him.
Michael Jordan's Career Struggles
"I remember when I first came to L.A., and me and my mom, we went to all these agencies trying to get representation and they passed on me - WME passed on me, CAA passed on me, Gersh, all these guys [expletive] passed on me," he said in an interview with Vanity Fair.
Andre Royo, Jordan's co-star on The Wire, immensely helped him. According to Royo, Jordan used to be so stressed out and thinking that he was not working hard enough. He even wanted to go back to New York.
'Yo dog, are you kidding me right now? You in your early 20s and you're around [expletive] trying to feed families who ain't working. Snap out of it,'" Royo said, encouraging the Creed actor.
Now, with over 7 million followers on Instagram, the actor is truly not short of people who look up to him. After he had snapped out of his negative outlook, he was eventually cast on the Blockbuster Marvel movie that grossed $2 billion internationally. In Black Panther alone, Jordan made a staggering $2 million.
His Advocacy
Jordan is also paving the way for African-American actors and actresses. According to him, he wants black people to be seen more on films.
"I'm first and foremost a black man, for sure, but what I'm trying to do, and what I'm trying to represent and build, is universal," he explained.
He added that he wants to become equal with other matinee idols such as Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio — an achievement that he considers as a form of racial equity. He also mentioned that today, everything is based on a person's race.
Both Jordan's top films were directed by Ryan Coogler, a 32-year-old African-American director. Coogler has also played an integral part in advancing the black community in Hollywood.
Their new film is based on the iconic film franchise, Rocky, and puts a person of color as the lead actor.
