In 2013, then-26-year-old actor Michael B. Jordan was featured in PEOPLE's first annual Ones to Watch portfolio for his critically acclaimed performance in that year’s film Fruitvale Station. Now he's been crowned 2020's Sexiest Man Alive.
"It's a cool feeling," he tells PEOPLE in this week's cover story. "You know, everybody always made that joke, like, ‘Mike, this is the one thing you’re probably not going to get.' But it’s a good club to be a part of."
From chiseling his body to carry on the boxing legacy of Apollo Creed as his son, Adonis, in 2015’s Creed to portraying Black Panther’s ruthless villain Erik Killmonger in 2018, Jordan, now 33, continues to make his mark in Hollywood — and the world.
His company, Outlier Society Productions, was the first to adopt an inclusion rider, which mandates that filmmakers enlist a diverse cast and crew. And the actor has been active in the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as this year's election.
As for who will be most excited for his new title, Jordan insists the women in his family "are definitely proud of this one," he says. "When my grandmother was alive, it was something that she collected, and then my mom naturally reads it a lot and my aunts as well. This is one that they’re definitely going to have a special place for."
In 10 years, Jordan hopes "to be maybe directing a little more, acting less, producing a lot more."
He continued, "Just growing, whatever the next evolution of me is," he says. "Hopefully a family by then, I’m going to throw that in the universe. I want to make an impact all over the world and not just through the roles that I play."
Courtesy of PEOPLE