Michael B. Jordan Transformation Photos: Child Star to Now

When it comes to amazing Hollywood transformations, Michael B. Jordan is at the top of the list! The actor went from a child star who got his start in The Wire and Friday Night Lights to a leading man and director.

“I’m always willing to prove myself,” the actor explained to Rolling Stone in February 2023, ahead of his directorial debut for Creed III. “When you come from where I come from, and everybody doesn’t get those opportunities and breaks — that luck or whatever — you start to question why you’re getting the things that you get. Why am I successful in life? Or why did I go this way, and everybody went that way? That builds up on you after a while.”

While he first stole hearts as Wallace on The Wire in 2002, Michael’s first acting role was actually on another HBO show. His first credit was as Rideland Kid in an episode of The Sopranos from 1999. From there, the New Jersey native kept nabbing supporting roles where he could, until becoming the star of the show.

“I want to be worldwide,” he told GQ in 2018, seemingly predicting his success. While he’s known for being the hero Adonis Creed in the Creed franchise, Michael proved he can do it all after taking on the villainous Killmonger in Marvel’s Black Panther franchise. After he was killed off the first Black Panther movie, Michael (spoiler alert) secretly reprised his role for the 2022 sequel.

“For me to be able to come back and I had to really keep it under wraps, you know?” he explained on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in January 2023. Thankfully, he was able to shoot Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Creed III simultaneously, allowing for the cameo to be kept a secret.

“I had to lie to everybody out here. I had to just keep it under wraps,” he explained to Extra in December 2022. “When you’re dealing with Marvel and stuff like that, you know the routine, so you just gotta deny, deny, deny, deny, deny until the end of it.”

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Other than his major acting roles, the star made headlines in February 2023 after being announced as a new Calvin Klein model with some seriously hot photos.

“I was like, my mama gonna have to see this. Let me call her and be like, ‘I’m sorry. It’s out here,'” he joked to Entertainment Tonight at the time. “My business all out in the streets — literally.”

Scroll through the gallery to see Michael’s transformation over the years.