Michael B. Jordan Admits He Needed Therapy After Black Panther

Michael B. Jordan admits that his time on Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther caused him so much stress, the 32-year-old had to undergo therapy.

Coogler’s critically acclaimed movie became a smash hit of 2018 and has been nominated for seven Academy Awards ahead of this year’s ceremony. It is also the first superhero movie ever to receive a nomination for Best Picture.

Taking us to the far-off land of Wakanda, Black Panther featured an all-star cast of Jordan, Chadwick Boseman, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, and Angela Bassett. While we can’t get enough of Black Panther, it turns out Jordan was definitely done playing Erik Killmonger by the time the credits rolled.

Speaking to Oprah Winfrey as part of her SuperSoul Conversations TV Special (via USA Today), Jordan explained how the role took a mental toll on his life. “I went to therapy, I started talking to people, starting unpacking a little bit,” he said.

Killmonger Black Panther
Disney

“I was by myself, isolating myself. I spent a lot of time alone,” confessed Jordan. “I figured Erik [Killmonger], his childhood growing up was pretty lonely. He didn’t have a lot of people he could talk to about this place called Wakanda that didn’t exist.”

Revealing the dark place he found himself in, Jordan continued, “I didn’t have a “process” for being Killmonger. I just did whatever I felt I needed to do or whatever I felt was right in the moment every step of the way. [However], I didn’t have an escape plan, either. When it was all over, I think just being in that kind of mind state … it caught up with me.”

Considering Jordan has been honest about the fact he based a lot of Killmonger on Heath Ledger’s disturbed portrayal of Joker in The Dark Knight — and given what happened with Ledger — it’s no wonder that Black Panther stuck with the star.

Erik Killmonger Black Panther
Disney

That being said, his performance as Killmonger was just as great as the movie itself. Managing to move past the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s notorious villain problem, Killmonger was part of the franchise’s new wave of more sympathetic villains.

After Killmonger’s apparent death — we don’t think it’s forever — Jordan has been tipped to jump ship over the world of DC. Following the not-so-shocking departures of Henry Cavill and Ben Alleck, Jordan is one of the frontrunners to replace either Superman or Batman. However, with his Black Panther PTSD still on his mind, he might not be so quick to hop back in the spandex.

[Featured Image: DC]