Michael B. Jordan discussed his role in Sinners in Variety’s Actors on Actors interview with Jesse Plemons. Notably, Jordan played the dual roles of the Smokestack twin brothers, who return to their hometown, where they are confronted by a supernatural evil.
Michael B. Jordan reveals how he differentiated Sinners twins
Michael B. Jordan opens up about his double role in Sinners and how he made the twin brothers (both played by him) unique. Plemons watched Sinners on the plane ride from Venice to Telluride and said he was “blown away” by the film.
He asked Jordan, “You’d probably follow Ryan Coogler almost anywhere, but where do you start when you’re preparing to play two characters?” (via Variety).
Jordan admitted that he felt a “lot of nerves” playing two identical twins. He explained his thought process: “Lemme just focus on building out from their childhood trauma forward. How did that kind of manifest in each brother differently?”
Jordan explained that one of the characters is more internal with his pain and doesn’t say a lot. On the other hand, the other brother conceals his inner turmoil behind his smile and charisma. “Understanding that those are two sides of me also helped,” the 38-year-old actor added.
Furthermore, Jordan explained how he styled his wardrobe choices according to his character. He revealed he wore shoes that were too small for Stack because “I liked him angsty”. Jordan also described Stack as someone who was impatient and fidgety. However, for the other twin brother, Smoke, Jordan wore a size too big because he didn’t move much.
The Creed star explained, “It all started to take shape, with Ryan (Coogler) being the perfect North Star for where the story’s going.” Elsewhere in the interview, Jordan described filming as an “organized chaos” because artists have a limited amount of time.
The Sinners star shared that he would do a few takes as each brother and then go to his trailer for more character building. Jordan shared, “Music was really helpful to listen to as I took off a piece of clothing and put another one on. And I took off my gold caps, which naturally hold my mouth differently and [affect] how I speak.”
He reminisced, “You’re listening to the music and going through key phrases, running myself through that brother’s perspective of what got them to that day.”
