Michael B. Jordan covers the June issue of ESSENCE, where the Fahrenheit 451 actor speaks out about using his platform to further diversity in Hollywood and empower women.
Speaking with Matthew Cherry, filmmaker and creative executive at Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions, the actor shared that being raised by strong women inspired him to support others. And, he’s doing that through his company, Outlier Society Productions.
Back in March, Jordan was one of the first celebrities to announce he was adopting an inclusion rider, which ensures a certain level of diversity among a project’s cast and crew.
“Actions speak louder than words. I want to lead by example,” Jordan told ESSENCE. “I know I had an opportunity with the shows and projects I had coming up, to put it to work. It’s important to have diversity both in front of and behind the camera, and inclusion riders make sure that anyone who does business with my company knows that we expect there to be people of color, women, LGBT folks, and people with disabilities in key positions on our crews and productions staffs.”
That support extends outside of Hollywood as well.
“I’m raised by strong women,” the actor added. “Since the majority of people in power are men, when we speak up it gives them firmer ground to stand on when we support them. I’m not the poster boy for it; I’m not the guy who’s trying to get in every cause, but at the same time when they call me for help, I’m there…I’m going to be there to support them.”