Michael B. Jordan says one classic soap opera shaped him more than any acting class ever could. The Creed star recently looked back on his early career and credited the long-running daytime drama for providing him with real, hands-on training.
Michael B. Jordan shares how this soap opera helped him learn acting
Jordan didn’t hold back when talking about his time on All My Children. During a recent SiriusXM interview, he explained that the show gave him the practical education he never received in formal classes. “That time I spent on that show did so much for me education-wise,” he said, noting he learned the craft directly from experienced co-stars.
The actor emphasized how intense the production schedule was. The team worked through massive scripts daily. “We did 100-plus pages a day… we did an episode and a half a day… It was a machine,” Jordan recalled. He added that for a young performer who never attended acting school, the soap became his real classroom.
Veteran star Susan Lucci also praised Jordan’s professionalism from those early days. She described him as prepared, respectful, and genuinely kind to everyone on set. Jordan responded warmly to her comments, calling the praise “sweet” and saying he should reconnect with her. “I gotta get in touch with her,” Jordan shared.
He went on to appear in 59 episodes of the soap, playing Reggie Porter Montgomery. By that point, Michael B. Jordan had already turned heads as Wallace on The Wire, but the daytime gig helped him sharpen his craft even more. For those not in the know, the role had originally been played by Chadwick Boseman, who would later share the screen with Jordan in Black Panther. Although Boseman was let go after criticizing Reggie’s storyline for leaning into racial stereotypes.
Looking back, Jordan has admitted the role also taught him what parts to avoid. “No dad, no mom, a f—ing stereotypical black role in a soap opera,” Jordan told GQ in a separate interview.
