Michael B. Jordan is officially an Academy Award winner. The actor took home the Oscar for Best Actor on Sunday night for his portrayal of twins Smoke and Stack in Ryan Coogler’s horror triumph Sinners. The win brought audience members to their feet for a long-lasting standing ovation.
“I stand here because of the people who came before me — Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker, Will Smith,” Jordan said in his acceptance speech, naming the only other Black performers who have won Best Actor or Actress at the show. “To be amongst those giants, amongst those greats, amongst my ancestors, amongst my gods. Thank you everybody in this room and everybody at home for supporting me over my career. I feel it. I know you guys want me to do well, and I want to do that because you guys bet on it.”
Jordan’s breakthrough first came through the television series All My Children more than 20 years ago, but it was 2013’s Fruitvale Station that really marked a shift in his career as a feature film actor. He went on to star in Creed and Black Panther, and Sinners marked the most transformative shift yet. Jordan brought two brothers with conflicting views on life and love to the screen with both humor and horror.
“Thank you for betting on me,” Jordan continued. “I’m going to keep stepping up. I’m going to keep being the best version of myself I can be. I just want to say thank you for everybody in this room that had something to do with my success, I love you guys. Everybody at home who supported Sinners and went to see the movie once, twice, three, four, or five times, thank you, because you guys made this movie what it is. I love you.”
Jordan was nominated alongside Timothée Chalamet for Marty Supreme, Leonardo DiCaprio for One Battle After Another, Ethan Hawke for Blue Moon, and Wagner Moura for The Secret Agent.
This article originally appeared on Rolling Stone.
