Michael B. Jordan shocks with Actor Awards win for 'Sinners'

Brian Truitt and Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY Mon, March 2, 2026 at 3:56 AM UTC

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Two Michael B. Jordans, one surprise win.

At the 2026 Actor Awards, the "Sinners" star took best actor for his performance as twin gangster brothers battling a bunch of uninvited vampires, besting presumed front-runner Timothée Chalamet.

"I don't even know where to begin. I wasn't expecting this at all," Jordan said onstage on Sunday, March 1, after receiving the award from delightedly shocked presenter Viola Davis. After thanking his fellow nominees, Jordan reflected on his experience as a child actor longing to be part of the "club" of the Screen Actors Guild.

"That kid from New Jersey is standing here right now," Jordan said. "Mom, thank you for driving me back and forth to New York when we didn't have enough money to go through the Holland Tunnel.

SAG Actor Awards 2026 – 'Sinners,' Michael B. Jordan take top honors

Michael B. Jordan wins best actor for his role in the movie "Sinners" at the Actor Awards.

"Just being in this room right now with all these people who saw me grow up in front of the camera ‒ I feel the love and support that you've always given me," he continued. "I just want to say thank you. This is pretty cool."

Jordan topped a category of actors that also included Leonardo DiCaprio ("One Battle After Another"), Ethan Hawke ("Blue Moon") and Jesse Plemons ("Bugonia"). He earned his first Oscar nod for best actor on Jan. 22 when nominations for the 98th Academy Awards were announced.

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Jordan, 38, broke out on TV, with notable roles in such series as "The Wire" and "Friday Night Lights," and his movie career has been a mix of populist and thought-provoking fare.

He's a frequent collaborator of Ryan Coogler, appearing in all five movies directed by Coogler: "Sinners," "Fruitvale Station," "Creed" and both "Black Panther" movies.

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To build out his dual roles in "Sinners," the scheming Stack and the more serious Smoke, Jordan told USA TODAY last spring how he thought about "their earliest childhood traumas" informing their personalities and coping skills.

“One smiled (and) talked his way through it, convinced himself that it wasn't that bad. And the other one had probably more of an exact memory of what really happened and came from a more responsible place. Two survival instincts, but just approached differently."

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Jordan created a strong connection between the two, despite their differences, and there's a folkloric element.

"These dudes were vampires before vampires were even introduced in the movie," he said. "They're immortal. They don't die."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Michael B. Jordan scores surprise best actor win for 'Sinners'

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