A sold-out Arlington Theatre was captivated by stories from actor Michael B. Jordan Thursday night as he spoke about playing twin brothers in “Sinners” and his longstanding working relationship with the film’s director, Ryan Coogler.

Jordan, 39, earned his first-ever Academy Award nomination for “Sinners,” a film that broke the record for most Oscar nominations by being nominated in 16 categories. 

His performance as the twin brothers in the film, Elijah “Smoke” and Elias “Stack” Moore also earned him the award of Outstanding Performer at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival Thursday night. 

Roger Durling, executive director of the film festival, introduced Jordan and led a conversation about his roles in films like “Fruitvale Station,” the “Creed” franchise, and “Black Panther.”

“I have admired Michael’s commitment to portraying the African American male with nuance, with truth and dignity and without compromise.” Durling said. “When you take stock of his filmography to this day, it showcases the richness of Black experiences, and while doing so, Michael has challenged the industry’s narrative norms.”

Jordan spoke about the work he did to differentiate between the twin brothers in “Sinners,” going as far to think about where they hold the pain of their childhood trauma and how that informed the way they walk and talk. 

“I created arguments between the two of them that’s not on camera at all, but they go into it with this banter, as if there’s this lifelong score of who’s up and who’s down,” Jordan said. 

For the technical aspect, Jordan explained that he would direct his twin double on what he was going to do as the other twin, which forced him to think beforehand on how he would portray the connection between the two men in each scene.

“I lost a bit of that ability to improv throughout this process, but it just made me premeditate arguments and looks,” Jordan said. “If I wanted to connect the twin with a look at each other, I had to set that up.”

“Sinners” is directed by Coogler, a longtime creative partner of Jordan’s. Together the two have also worked on “Black Panther,” “Fruitvale Station,” and “Creed.”

“There’s something about Ryan that you want to follow him, you want to believe in him” Jordan said. “He has a leadership quality that makes you feel safe and makes you want to take a big swing.”

One of the most emotional moments of the evening was when Jordan spoke about the late Chadwick Boseman, his “Black Panther” co-star who died in 2020 at age 43 from colon cancer.

Jordan described how one day on the set of “Sinners,” early on in the production, he was struggling to get into the mindset of one of the twins when Coogler essentially asked him what Boseman would do in that situation. 

“I knew exactly what he meant and I was like ‘say no more’ and that pushed me, gave me another gear to go to,” Jordan said. “Chad was with me, Chad is always with me but definitely on ‘Sinners’ as well.”

Jordan spoke about Boseman in the present tense, describing him as a serious actor with a wisdom beyond his age. 

“I love that guy so much, and it saddens me every time I think about it, that I won’t get a chance to work with him again and his family, and his approach to the craft and how he treated people,” Jordan said. 

Jordan also spoke about the first film he and Coogler worked on together, “Fruitvale Station,” which depicts the real life story of Oscar Grant, a 22-year-old man killed by a Bay Area Rapid Transit police officer in 2009. 

Since its 2013 debut, Jordan spoke about how the film has only grown more relevant and how he hopes his work makes people empathize with others and evaluate the way they think. 

“When you tell stories that matter, about people who matter, hopefully you start to chip away at the boundaries and the barriers between the people who are living that every day and the ones that are maybe watching it at home and they don’t really have that,” Jordan said.

The award for Outstanding Performer was presented by Jordan’s “Sinners” co-star Delroy Lindo, who earned his first Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor for his performance as Delta Slim in the film. 

Lindo praised the artistic partnership between Jordan and Coogler, saying they are changing what it means to be a creative worker. 

“Like many of you, I’ve watched and been mesmerized by the work ‘Fruitvale Station,’ ‘Creed,’ ‘Black Panther’ and this brilliant, brilliant Ryan Coogler forming this bond with Michael B. Jordan as compadres, as brothers,” Lindo said. “As a result of that, we all get to bask in the brilliance of their work and their partnership.”

During his acceptance speech, Jordan thanked the audience for their support of “Sinners” and his family, who was in the audience, for supporting him through busy schedules and pushing him to be who he is today. He also praised the Santa Barbara International Film Festival for its support of film and artists.

“I can’t wait to see what filmmakers and what artists Santa Barbara produces,” Jordan said. “I think you guys are going to be something serious out there. I’m looking forward to all the young filmmakers, all the young writers, directors, production designers, I’m looking forward to seeing what the city turns out, so I’m watching you.”

Jordan’s “Sinners” co-star, Wunmi Mosaku, earned a Virtuosos Award Sunday at the film festival for her performance as Annie in the film.