Michael B. Jordan is once again lacing up his gloves to step into the ring as Adonis Creed in Creed III this week. But this iteration of the Rocky spinoff story holds special significance for the Hollywood Walk of Fame star honoree, as it also marks his directorial debut.
Though Jordan has lived and breathed the character of Adonis Creed for the last 9 years, the actor was in uncharted territory when he stepped behind the lens and slid into the director’s chair for the third installment of the beloved boxing franchise.
“The pressure was more what I put on myself,” the actor tells ESSENCE of his new experience leading his fellow actors on set. “It was the idea of the unknown, not having done it before. Once I started to get my bearings and get comfortable – pretty quickly – it started to flow.”
Adonis’ life has ebbed and flowed over the years much like Jordan’s, which the actor says was helpful in helping him place himself in the character’s shoes as he transitioned from fledgling boxing hopeful to champ to husband and father, to leader of the next generation of promising boxers.
“I think imagining what he would be going through at this stage in his life and at this point in his career resembles, sometimes, some of the things that I was going through in my life and this part of my career,” Jordan says. “Over the years, you start to somehow work out some of your own sh*t through the characters that you play. It’s therapeutic in that way for me, and also for a lot of other actors I know.”
Jordan has gone on record saying he wanted the fight scenes in this film to stand out from what audiences expect from the Creed and Rocky franchises, and turned to his own love of Animé for inspiration. When asked what character serves as his spirit animal while shooting those brutal fight scenes in the ring, Jordan has a slew of options.
“Definitely Goku vibes,” he says, referencing Dragon Ball Z. “For Naruto, I’m probably like a Shikamaru meets Rock Lee, a little bit. But Animé had a huge influence over me in general. As I’m starting to craft, things that I like and enjoy, especially where it makes sense, things just naturally start to fall into place.”
Creed III hits theaters nationwide on March 3, 2023.