Michael B. Jordan is known for his impressive range. He stole the small screen (and hearts) as Wallace in The Wire. And who can forget his turns in Friday Night Lights, Creed, Fruitvale Station and Black Panther, to name a few? But his latest role is uncharted territory for him once again. This time he is the new face of Coach. Jordan tells us all about it.
Why did you sign on as the face of Coach? It wasn’t an overnight thing. From some red carpets and press events and going to fashion shows, and getting to know Stuart (Vevers) and the brand over a few years and then ultimately getting to the place where it’s like, alright, I know the people that actually are in the front office, I know the designer, I know what the brand represents and it was very similar to things I care about. I’m not a guy who chases money or one deal just for a deal. It really has to be a partnership and compliment each other. I found that Coach was the perfect brand for me to do that with and then also having a fragrance line, something I always wanted to be a part of, it was like a one stop shop for a lot of the things on my checklist—I checked off a lot of my boxes.
Which is your favorite Coach fragrance? Coach for Men is my favorite. I like that it’s just a little bit more earthy. It reminds me of a cologne that I don’t remember the name of, but I remember when I was a kid, the first time I ever really wore cologne, one of my best friend’s older brother would always have tons of cologne bottles. And he’d say, “don’t go in my room and don’t touch my stuff.” Of course, when he’s not there, you’re in there looking at all the sneakers that you can’t fit in or can’t have, and the cologne bottles, and we’re putting his stuff on, and then I remember dousing myself in it and going somewhere and I gave this girl a hug and she was like, you smell so good, and I was like, what, you can smell that on me? And then when I smelled this, I was like, wow, this takes me back. That’s the power of smell, so I just always kind of dug it. And I like the bottle too. It’s a little fruitier; it has pineapple notes, black pepper oil and juniper berries, so this one is a little lighter for me, but it also tells a story.
On a regular day, when you’re not on set, what’s your grooming routine like? It depends on what mood I’m in. If I’m in more of a creative space, doing a lot of work and developing things and starting up companies, really in the thick of it, I’ll probably let my hair and facial hair go. I’ll still get a haircut, but I’ll probably let my face go. I just got my first manicure/pedicure the other day, which is pretty cool for men. That was a good experience. A typical grooming experience for me is haircuts, showers, you know what I’m saying. A little manscaping. Keeping it cool.
How do you like to wear fragrance? You can’t put lotion on right after you shower because you start sweating—that’s what I learned over time, for sure. Air dry, dry off, you know, lotion up, and then I usually spray a body layer. Not a lot, but just a little bit and then I get dressed and I might add another shot right before I go out. It’s all about layering, because you don’t want to overpower everything up top. So, you have a base scent that’s always going to be there, that sits on your clothes a little bit, and then you have a top layer that’s more of the introduction to somebody.
Outside of the cologne realm, what smells do you like? I love the smell of fresh cut grass. It reminds me so much of being back home because I used to mow the lawn all the time. In LA we don’t have lawns like that, so that’s something I definitely miss. Morning dew. Something I love, early morning when I’m going for a run or something, I just love the smell of the moisture in the air—it’s pretty sweet. My grandmother’s rum cakes. She used to live next door to me growing up, so whenever she was baking rum cakes the smell would just creep through my house, so that’s something that smell, that sugary rum glaze. It’s pretty good.
Was there someone who took you under their wing to show you how style can make a statement? My best friend Sterling, he’s a fashionable guy. I’m paying attention a little bit more. There really are no rules; you’ve got to do what makes you feel comfortable. It’s all about feeling comfortable in what you have on. Everybody is not going to like what you have on, so you can’t really pay attention to what other people might say or think, but you just gotta do what makes you feel comfortable, and if you feel comfortable and confident, that’s pretty much it.
What’s next for you? Just Mercy is probably the next film I have coming up. It’s a story about Bryan Stevenson. He’s a defense attorney from Alabama. He started this coalition called The Equal Justice Initiative. He represents wrongly convicted inmates that are on death row and tries to get them exonerated from the death penalty. I adapted the book, Just Mercy, into a biopic and so the book is the story of his most memorable cases and the movie takes place around a few of those. He’s a really important man. He’s alive and well and still fighting the good fight, and he’s one of those special humans that the world is definitely a much better place having him here. Jamie Foxx, Brie Larson, O’Shea Jackson—we have a really nice, well-rounded cast. It’s my first project that I produced under my inclusion rider over at Warner Brothers, which I’m really excited about. I’m really happy that the studio got behind me on that one and really made that happen because I think it’s going to set a precedent across the board of what studios follow their lead. I think people are going to enjoy it and it’s going to make a real impact.
Source: Forbes
