Michael B Jordan says playing Killmonger in Black Panther led him to therapy: 'I needed to decompress from…'

Michael B. Jordan has spoken candidly about how his role as Erik Killmonger in Black Panther became a turning point in his personal life, leading him to seek therapy for the first time.

Michael B Jordan on having to take therapy because of Black Panther

The actor, who earned widespread acclaim for his portrayal of the Wakandan antagonist in Ryan Coogler’s 2018 blockbuster, said the emotional weight of the character lingered long after filming ended.

Speaking on CBS Sunday Morning, the Golden Globe nominee reflected on Killmonger’s inner turmoil and how deeply he immersed himself in the role. “I think Erik didn’t experience that,” Jordan said, referring to love. “He had a lot of betrayal, a lot of failed systems around him that shaped him and his anger and his frustration.”

Jordan explained that preparing for the role required an intense level of isolation. “So, for a while, in preparation for that role, I didn’t really speak to my family that much. I was kind of isolated a bit. I went into my hole and tried to live like he would have lived for a bit, whatever that process was,” he said. The actor added that fully embodying Killmonger’s mindset came at an emotional cost he had not anticipated.

In Black Panther, Killmonger is driven by trauma and loss. His father, N’Jobu, is killed by Wakandan king T’Chaka — father of T’Challa, played by the late Chadwick Boseman — after attempting to smuggle vibranium out of Wakanda.

That betrayal fuels Killmonger’s anger and ultimately leads him to challenge T’Challa for the throne. Jordan’s performance was widely praised for giving the Marvel Cinematic Universe one of its most complex villains.

However, once filming wrapped, Jordan found it difficult to fully separate himself from the character. “After the movie, it kind of stuck with me for a bit. I went to therapy, talked about it, found a way to kind of just decompress. And I think at that point, I was still learning that I needed to decompress from a character,” he said.

Jordan noted that the experience taught him an important lesson about the demands of acting. “There’s no blueprint to this. Acting is a solo journey a lot of times. Auditioning by yourself, practicing by yourself. There’s a lot of preparation and the experience and the journey,” he explained. “So, learning as I went, realizing that, ‘Oh man, I still got a little something on me I need to get off.’ Talking is really important.”

What began as a way to process a single role soon became something more meaningful. The Sinners star said his therapy sessions “spiraled into a bigger conversation and self-discovery,” ultimately changing how he viewed mental health. He stressed that therapy should not carry stigma, particularly for men.

“So, that’s something I’m not ashamed of at all and very proud of,” Jordan said. “It definitely helped me throughout the years and to this day of trying to be a good communicator and a well-rounded person, inside and out.”

Jordan’s comments add to a growing number of high-profile voices in Hollywood openly discussing mental health, highlighting how emotionally demanding roles can have lasting effects — and why seeking help can be an essential part of the process.