People magazine has named actor Michael B. Jordan as its 2020 Sexiest Man Alive.
Jordan is best known for his critically praised performances in the films Fruitvale Station, Creed and Black Panther. The magazine’s choice of Jordan was announced Tuesday night on the American television talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live!
The 33-year-old Jordan told People that the honor is a "cool feeling."
“You know, everybody always made that joke, like, ‘Mike, this is the one thing you’re probably not going to get,’” he said. “But it’s a good club to be a part of.”
Females among Jordan’s family were especially pleased about the recognition, as fans of the magazine.
"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," Jordan said. "This is one that they're definitely going to have a special place for."
Other recent winners of sexiest man alive include singer John Legend, actors Dwayne Johnson and Chris Hemsworth, and soccer star David Beckham.
Jordan's rise in Hollywood has come through strong performances on television series like The Wire and Friday Night Lights. He made his mark in film as police shooting victim Oscar Grant in Fruitvale Station. He also played boxer Adonis Creed in the Rocky series of movies and Erik Killmonger in Black Panther.
Jordan has helped lead socio-economic change in the U.S motion pictures industry. He started his own production company, Outlier Society Productions, which was among the first to support what is known as the inclusion rider. It supports efforts to employ diverse groups of actors and crew members.
Jordan also has been active in the Black Lives Matter movement and has spoken in support of early voting registration in the United States.
"I think there's a time and a place for everything," he told People. “We can all take action — big or small — to help create the change we want to see."
In 10 years, Michael B. Jordan hopes to direct and produce more than act.
"Just growing, whatever the next evolution of me is," said Jordan, who will star as an American spy in the film Without Remorse.
But what more could the “sexiest man alive” want?
"Hopefully, a family,” he said. “I'm going to throw that in the universe.”
I’m Caty Weaver.
The Associated Press reported this story. Caty Weaver adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
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Words in This Story
club – n. a membership group identified by some common characteristic
aunt – n. your mother or father's sister
diverse – adj. made up of people or things that are different from each other
evolution – n. a process of slow change and development
