Jamie Foxx and Will Smith have offered their congratulations to Michael B. Jordan following his Best Actor win at the Oscars.
“I can barely breathe right now… you were absolutely incredible in this film,” Foxx wrote in a post on Instagram alongside a clip of the moment on Sunday (March 15) when Jordan was announced as the winner for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his dual performance in Ryan Coogler’s Sinners. “An amazing actor, an amazing director — truly all of the above. Tonight we celebrate you: your talent, your mystique, and your incredible passion for the craft.”
The actor/comedian/musician added that he believes that Jordan should have received two Oscars for his roles as twins Smoke and Stack.
“Congratulations, my brother,” he wrote. “You’re operating in rare air right now. Celebrate it to the fullest… And trust me, the after-party is going to be crazy.” In another post, he wrote, “Words can’t express how proud I am of you. You deserve this and so much more. Congratulations my brother.”
In an Instagram comment, meanwhile, Will Smith wrote, “CONGRATS, beloved. Makin’ History!”
During his acceptance speech, Jordan gave a shoutout to all six of the Black actors who previously won Oscars for a leading performance.
“I stand here because of the people that came before me,” he said. “Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker, Will Smith… To be amongst those giants, amongst those greats, amongst my ancestors, amongst my guys. Thank you, everybody, in this room and everybody at home, for supporting me over my career.”
Jordan is now the sixth Black actor to win in the Best Actor in a Leading Role category. Only one Black woman, Halle Berry, has won the award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. In the supporting actor categories, meanwhile, a total of 18 Black actors have picked up a statuette. Only two Black actors—Denzel Washington and Mahershala Ali—have won two Oscars for acting.
Sinners had a big night at the Oscars. The movie was nominated for a record-setting 16 nominations, the most-nominated film in history, and picked up four awards. Coogler got the award for Best Original Screenplay, alongside Ludwig Göransson for Best Original Score, Autumn Durald Arkapaw for Best Cinematography, and Best Actor in a Leading Role for Jordan.