The actor received the award for his dual performance as twin brothers Smoke and Stack in “Sinners.” (Alexa Lopez / Daily Nexus)
Before entering the Arlington Theatre to receive the 2026 Outstanding Performer of the Year Award, fans of all ages swarmed around Michael B. Jordan in hopes of meeting him.
“He talked to us!” a group of young fans exclaimed as they held an American flag with his photo.
Members of the official Michael B. Jordan fan club were also present at the event, highlighting Jordan’s widespread appeal. Jordan’s influence on young people and relentless pursuit of complex roles were highlighted at the Feb. 12 Outstanding Performer Award ceremony, which is given to actors “whose role in a film has exceeded greatness.”
Jordan was honored for his dual performance as twin brothers Smoke and Stack in “Sinners,” for which he received critical acclaim and a nomination for Best Actor at the upcoming Academy Awards.
The event began with an introduction by Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) Executive Director Roger Durling.
“I have admired Michael’s commitment to portraying the African American male with nuance, with truth and dignity and without compromise,” Durling said. “I cannot emphasize enough that this remarkable actor, this remarkable person, has advanced Black cultural presence while succeeding within mainstream Hollywood.”
Cheers erupted as Jordan made his way onstage and told Durling that his family was in the crowd.
“For me to be having this much success and this much love in some cool places, and meeting all these people and getting this response, this feedback, to have [my family] feel that and be a part of that journey with me, it makes it complete,” Jordan said.
Jordan posing with his family on the red carpet. (Alexa Lopez / Daily Nexus)
Durling started the on-stage interview by asking Jordan how his acting career began and how his early roles shaped his mindset when it came to acting. Jordan recalled enrolling in tap classes as a child and venturing into modeling, which became his introduction to the entertainment industry.
“At 11, I think I was working on my discipline. That was part of my work ethic training, so to speak, of picking up a hobby,” Jordan said.
Jordan went on to describe his acting process and how he keeps journals for characters he’s playing. Jordan said that his “Red Tails” co-star Nate Parker introduced him to the practice.
“[Parker] really stressed the importance of journal work and arching out a character with no cards … it clicked for me and made sense, I’ve been doing it ever since,” Jordan said.
Jordan explained that as his career progressed, he began to think deeper into the roles he was playing and move away from the stereotypical roles he was limited to in his youth.
“I think you’re defined by what you say no to,” Jordan said. “‘Fantastic 4’ is probably the role that was very intentional.”
Clips of Jordan’s roles played throughout the event, highlighting his vast filmography. Durling added that Jordan has pushed the types of roles available to young Black actors and has triumphed in telling stories he believes need to be told.
Jordan also discussed his professional relationship with director Ryan Coogler, with whom he’s collaborated with on a variety of films including “Sinners,” “Creed” and “Black Panther.” Jordan described Coogler as a “rare gift” to the film industry and discussed how quickly the two got along after working on their first film together, “Fruitvale Station.”
“We met very briefly, walked across the street to a Starbucks, had a conversation … he pitched ‘Creed’ to me maybe the next week,” Jordan said. “So before we even shot one frame of [‘Fruitvale Station’], he already pitched to me the ‘Creed’ franchise.”
Jordan spoke about his experience working with the late actor Chadwick Boseman for “Black Panther.” He described Boseman as “very wordly,” and said they both created “two forces that would continually meet on set” as they stayed in character while the cameras were off.
When asked if Jordan felt Boseman’s presence during the filming of “Sinners,” Jordan said Coogler asked him “what would Chad do?” while he was struggling to get into character.
“I knew exactly what he meant. I was like, ‘Say no more,’” Jordan said. “And that propelled and pushed me, you know. He’s always with me, but definitely on ‘Sinners’ as well.”
Jordan talking to SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling. (Alexa Lopez / Daily Nexus)
Jordan also spoke about simultaneously playing the two lead roles in “Sinners,” Smoke and Stack. He said he created an ongoing banter between the characters that didn’t appear in the film, in order to keep them in a constant “relationship with themselves.”
“There’s things like that, that I had to create to kind of give them this kind of back-and-forth banter and feeling of this a conversation, it’s a relationship that’s been there forever. And that was extremely helpful,” Jordan said.
When asked whether he’s been able to “digest” his impact on young people, Jordan said he understands the position he is in.
“I know how important representation is and having an example. So if I’m lucky enough and fortunate enough to be that for people, yeah, let’s keep that going,” Jordan said.
Following Jordan’s conversation with Sterling, he was presented with the Outstanding Performer of the Year Award by actor and “Sinners” co-star Delroy Lindo. Lindo described Jordan and Coogler’s professional relationship as a “new paradigm” of what it means to be a “creative worker and to impact the world.”
“What I’ve learned about Mike B that has been enhanced this evening is just the extent to which you’re just spreading your wings and you’re taking extraordinary agency over what you do and you are impacting so many people,” Lindo said.
Lindo continued by saying that due to their shared commitment to the film, developing a relationship between Smoke and Stack and his character, Delta Slim was “effortless.”
“It was very simple and very complex. One fine actor committing to the work that he had to do in this narrative and I committed to what I had to do, and we came together and we made the work and neither one of us talked about it. We didn’t have to talk about it. We did our jobs,” Lindo said.
“Sinners” co-star Delroy Lindo presenting Jordan with the award. (Alexa Lopez / Daily Nexus)
After receiving the award, Jordan spoke about the unique experience of playing two characters at once. He described it as disappearing “twice in the same frame,” and spoke about differentiating the two characters to make them both feel authentic by building “two complete human beings from scratch.”
“The challenge wasn’t making them look different, it was making them feel different, so that when you’re watching, you forget that you’re seeing the same person,” Jordan said.
Jordan also recognized his mother’s influence in helping him become an actor. He said she was the first person to tell him that acting was about “living your truth and that character’s truth.”
Jordan concluded by saying he looks forward to seeing up-and-coming talent from Santa Barbara.
“I’m watching ya’ll and you guys spent a lot of your time here supporting me, man,” Jordan said. “I really appreciate you guys sacrificing this time to give me love and give me my flowers.”
Jordan receiving the Outstanding Performer Award. (Alexa Lopez / Daily Nexus)
The 98th Academy Awards will take place on March 15, where Jordan is currently nominated for Best Actor.
A version of this article appeared on pg. 1 of the Feb. 19, 2026 edition of the Daily Nexus
