10 Things You Didn't Know About Michael B. Jordan
Michael B. Jordan has been plucking our heart-strings since day one. A phenomenal actor who can pull off both tragedy and comedy, he's best known for his roles in Fruitvale Station, That Awkward Moment, Friday Night Lights, and The Wire. He’s also attractive AF (People confirms it), super fit, and he’s practically a superhero now that he's starring in Fantastic Four. We love MBJ for so many reasons, but do we really know him? Do you? Check out these 10 facts that you probably didn't know about him.
The “B” doesn’t stand for “Bae.”
Michael B. Jordan is so bae that we’ve stopped calling him Michael B. Jordan and have started to calling him Michael “Bae” Jordan. But his middle name is actually Bakari. It's Swahili for "a noble promise." It also means "baker" in Icelandic.
His first role was on a Cosby show.
No, not The Cosby Show, but Cosby, a Bill Cosby-produced sitcom loosely based on the British show One Foot in the Grave. Michael was 12 and played a kid conveniently named Michael. The first episode that he acted in was called “The Vesey Method.”
He was a Toys ‘R’ Us kid.
Before his first acting gig, Michael was a child model, and one of the companies that he modeled for was Toys ‘R’ Us. Yes, we know the child inside of you is jealous. The child inside of us is angry too.
He's never met Michael Jordan.
Even though he shares a name with him, and he wears his shoes, he's never met THE Michael Jordan.
He is not named after the NBA superstar.
We’ve all wondered at some point or another: “Did Michael B. Jordan’s parents named him after the Michael Jordan?” The answer is no. Michael B. Jordan was named after his father, Michael A. Jordan. It’s like alphabetical order is the new “Jr.”
He can tap-dance.
Jordan's mother pushed him to pursue different hobbies, one of which was tap-dancing. Hopefully we’ll get to see him show off his moves in one of his upcoming projects. Any way they could work tap-dancing into a Magic Mike movie?
He’s an anime nerd.
Recently, Jordan revealed that he collects graphic novels and obsesses over Japanese anime. Not only does he have good looks and great acting talents, but he’s also ~cultured~.
He loves natural beauty and floral scents.
Jordan loves floral scents on a woman—not an overwhelming amount, just a little bit. He dished that he also loves when women keep it simple and are laid back. So, if you know you're going to be meeting MJB, keep your perfume low-key and your outfit simple.
He spent time with Oscar Grant's family to prep for Fruitvale Station.
Grant's story was already close to Jordan's heart. He recalls being incredibly angry and confused when he first watched the video of Grant being shot and killed by Oakland police on Facebook, four years before the movie script came across his lap. In order to better understand Grant, Jordan went to the Bay Area to spend time with his family and friends. It paid off, too, as his performance turned heads while bringing added attention to police abuse of power.
He can't grow a full beard.
In an interview with Conan O'Brien, Jordan admitted to not being able to fully grow a beard. He said that every time he tries, certain patches of skin don't grow any hair at all. He's no less of a man to us.