Michael B. Jordan’s Mom Hates To See Him Die On Screen, So He Switched It Up

Michael B. Jordan loves his mama.

In fact, he loves his parents, Donna and Michael A. Jordan, so much that they live with him in Los Angeles, though things can sometimes get a little awkward.

“You get home-cooked meals, but then you also have random trips to the kitchen in the middle of the night,” Jordan told Ellen DeGeneres back in February. “Just the random run-ins that just might be a little uncomfortable from time to time.”

Still, there’s not much the doting son wouldn’t do for his parents, which is why he started pursuing roles where his character did not die in the end. According to Jordan, it all started because of how his mother reacted when his character, Wallace, was killed off HBO’s The Wire in season one.

“It started with my mom, who’s super emotional. When I shot my death scene in The Wire, she was on set. And the P.A.’s kept coming to me and saying: ‘You may want to check on your mom.’ I go see her, and she’s sitting there bawling,” Jordan said in an interview with The New York Times. Back then, Jordan was just 15, and had to console his mother after the moving scene.

“I’m just a kid. I’m going, ‘Come on, Ma. You’re embarrassing me.’ And after Fruitvale Station, I was like, ‘Man, this is really affecting her.’”

His mom’s reaction wasn’t the only thing that made Jordan want to make it to the end of his films. He also wanted to be the hero.

“Look at Denzel’s career. I want people to see me win,” he said. “I want audiences to see me ending up on top — not dying. I want to be the leading man.”

In recent years, Jordan has realized that dream. In addition to starring in this year’s megahit, Black Panther, he’s currently working on the sequel to Creed while preparing for his next project, Fahrenheit 451, to premiere on HBO in May.