Michael B. Jordan’s American Cinematheque Awards With Ryan Coogler, Tom Cruise

Over the course of about two hours, Michael B. Jordan relived his 25 years as an actor.

“Nobody warns you how crazy this is to see your whole career flash before your eyes,” Jordan said, wiping tears away as he accepted the 39th American Cinematheque Award from his longtime collaborator Ryan Coogler on Thursday night.

It had been an emotional day for Jordan, who spent the morning saluting his friend, the late Chadwick Boseman. The “Black Panther” star, who died in 2020, received a posthumous star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. Jordan also has a slice of real estate on that famed stretch of sidewalk — his star was unveiled in 2023 — so he’s well-aware of how poignant that moment can be. But as he listened to Coogler, Viola Davis and Boseman’s wife Simone Ledward-Boseman speak, Jordan tried to remain “even-keeled” amid all the emotion.

“It made you reflect and think about time. The time that you have and what you do with that time,” Jordan told Variety on the red carpet at the Beverly Hilton. About the serendipity of the two events taking place just hours apart, he added: “I wouldn’t want to share this day, this moment, with anyone else. I’m actually so happy that it happened on the same day. I’ll never forget it.”

The American Cinematheque tribute chronicled Jordan’s achievements in cinema and television over the decades — from his earliest roles (think “The Wire,” “Friday Night Lights,” “All My Children” and his first movie, “Hardball”) to his breakthrough performance in Coogler’s indie drama “Fruitvale Station,” which established Jordan as a movie star to watch. Then came roles in box office blockbusters like “Black Panther” and three “Creed” movies — plus he directed “Creed III” — culminating with this year’s massive hit “Sinners.” Next, Jordan directs, produces and stars in a new version of “The Thomas Crown Affair.”

“As we’ve watched his career blossom and grow, each performance gets better and better. And when I first saw ‘Sinners,’ I said, ‘That’s the best work yet,’” his father, Michael A. Jordan, told Variety.

“It wasn’t an overnight thing,” his mother, Donna Jordan, pointed out. “I’ve seen so much of what he did to put the work in. His work ethic is amazing, and I’m most proud of that.”

Before Jordan’s tribute, NBC Universal chief Donna Langley honored the Motion Picture Association’s Charles H. Rivkin with the Power of Cinema Award, presented by Hill Valley. Onstage, Rivkin, who was accompanied by his colleagues at the MPA and his son, Eli, cracked before the crowd of studio heads and industry executives: “Let’s face it, like the rest of us, myself included, they’re really here to see Michael B. Jordan.”

Indeed, the A-list lineup of presenters confirmed that the entertainment industry loves Jordan. Ben Affleck kicked off the kudos by sharing how, after watching “Fruitvale Station,” he’d reached out to the young actor to offer advice about navigating a rapidly accelerating career.

“In retrospect, it’s clear to me those conversations were much more valuable to me,” Affleck admitted. The Oscar winner also ribbed Jordan’s parents about giving him that name when the other Michael Jordan was already on his way to a legendary basketball career. “This was not an exercise with low expectations,” he quipped, but Jordan has lived up to the moniker.

The parade of Oscar winners continued with Mahershala Ali, who introduced a clip package from Jordan’s first works: “A time before Michael was a multi-hyphenate actor, producer, director; before he became one of the most sought-after leading men and bachelors of Hollywood, a time we all affectionately refer to as the ’90s,” he cracked.

Then, Octavia Spencer recalled playing Jordan’s mother in “Fruitvale Station” and how, when the film ran into financing issues, she became an executive producer on the project. “When you take an inspired and culturally important script and you add a supreme talent like Michael, who I always say is a brilliant character actor with a beautiful, leading man’s face, you make more than a lasting impression; you make a movie that withstands the test of time,” she said.

Daniel Kaluuya (“Black Panther”) described Jordan as “a human torch in real life,” sharing that before they were co-stars in the MCU, he and his friends had seen a billboard of Jordan in “Fantastic Four” and been further inspired to chase their dreams. “He’s Johnny fucking Storm.” That moment, Kaluuya said, solidified that “Michael’s reach, influence and impact,” and that he was “global before he was given permission.”

For the “Creed” section of the program, Irwin Winkler, who produces the “Rocky” franchise, and Jordan’s co-stars Phylicia Rashad and Tessa Thompson took the stage. Rashad praised Jordan for his “impeccable” artistry, while Thompson reflected on playing soulmates onscreen for a decade.

“I know my work husband extremely well,” she quipped. “I have watched my workplace spouse evolve immensely and grow tremendously, but at the same time, not change one bit.” Meanwhile, “Sinners” actor Delroy Lindo, Jordan’s most recent co-star on the bill, said that the evening helped him get a better sense of the “breadth and depth” of his brilliance, genius and impact.

Bradley Cooper, who received the American Cinematheque tribute in 2018, lamented the fact that he’s yet to work with Jordan. “Not a movie, not a show, never made a TikTok, nothing,” he cracked. “I’m simply a dedicated fan who has now, I’ve been miraculously upgraded to a friend.”

Angela Bassett — who played Queen Ramonda, Jordan’s “auntie,” in “Black Panther” — and Tom Cruise — who, like Cooper, is simply a longtime fan — also appeared via video messages.

“The first time I saw your work, it was immediately clear to me what a tremendous, tremendous talent you are, and I’ve been watching your career grow over these many years,” Cruise said in the clip. “I admire your talent, your dedication, your constant willingness to learn and push the boundaries of storytelling. You’ve brought to life so many authentic, memorable characters — always with such depth and always in service of the story.” And by taking on dual roles in “Sinners,” Cruise continued, Jordan “validated the magic of the big screen experience.”

Coogler was the final presenter of the evening. “I’m really upset because I’ve never had to follow up that many incredible actors before,” he said, joking that all the other presenters used all the best anecdotes about Jordan. “It made my speech kinda worthless.”

But Coogler did his best to sum up their 13 years of partnership, friendship and brotherhood, regardless, by focusing on Jordan’s incredible dedication to the craft of acting. Coogler detailed how Jordan transformed physically and dove deep into character work for each of their collaborations, with “Sinners” as his heaviest lift to date.

“I don’t think there’s any other actor in the world who might’ve pulled that off,” Coogler said about the more intricate aspects of playing two characters in the same shot. “He makes these things look so easy; he often gets overlooked.”

Coogler shared the story of their first coffee meeting as he pitched Jordan on “Fruitvale Station.” To him, it was obvious that Jordan was a movie star in the making. “I said, ‘Hey, man, I think you’re a star. Let’s do this project together and show the world,’ he recalled. “And this dude looked back at me like it was the first time somebody told him that.” (“It was,” Jordan yelled out from his table in the center of the ballroom.)

At the Sundance premiere of “Fruitvale Station,” Coogler said Oscar Grant’s family watched the film for the first time and his uncle’s review was poignant: “I felt I saw my nephew for an hour and a half,” he’d said.

“That’s the power of Mike when he’s in his bag. Doing his first love,” Coogler said. “He has a power to make magic. He has a power to get to the truth. That all of our humanity is real, that all these constructs that we make — race, identity, citizenship — though deadly, though powerful, are just constructs. Mike shines through that.”

Then, Coogler invited Jordan to the stage; the audience saluted the actor with an impressively long standing ovation, giving him time to wipe the tears from his eyes and regain his composure.

“That reel keeps playing back in my head,” Jordan said. “It’s inspiring, because now I want to go do something else. I’m like ‘What’s next?’ For anybody that knows me, I’ve got an idea. I come with ideas.”

As Jordan looked around the room, full of people who’d witnessed different parts of his journey, he said the event felt like the “ultimate homecoming.” Jordan thanked his family, co-stars, collaborators and various members of his team, but choked up when he looked to Coogler.

“Finding a collaborator like him early in my career changed everything for me. Words cannot describe the impact you’ve had on me and my life,” he said after a long pause. (“My friends and family had a bet on how many times I was gonna cry tonight,” Jordan admitted.)

To conclude his speech, Jordan focused his remarks on the power of storytelling to be a light in heavy times. “It’s a blessing to wake up and do what we do every day for a living,” he said, then quoted author Toni Morrison. “‘If there’s a book you really want to read but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.’ So, to the artist, plant your seeds, find your people, build with them. And to the people making decisions about what stories will be told: Be bold. Take the risk. These stories matter.”