Michael B. Jordan walked out of the Oscars with a Best Actor win in hand, and within hours, a street interview revealed something fans did not expect: his all-time favorite film is a 1997 Japanese anime.
The moment Jordan named Princess Mononoke as his favourite film
Right after the Vanity Fair Oscar party, Maurice Kamara, founder of The People Gallery on social media, caught up with Jordan for a quick interview. After Jordan told fans to dream big and work hard, Kamara asked him point-blank what his favorite movie was. Jordan paused, then said, “Oh, man, I’m going to say, Princess Mononoke.“
The reaction online was immediate. Anime fans and film enthusiasts alike flooded social media, calling the pick elite, with many pointing to the choice as proof of how deeply Jordan’s taste in cinema runs beyond mainstream Hollywood.
The choice is not entirely surprising to those who have followed Jordan closely. His love for anime is well-documented. When he made his directorial debut with Creed III, he drew directly from the medium, with the climactic fight sequence between Adonis and Damian being a deliberate reference to the iconic confrontation between Naruto and Sasuke in Naruto: Shippuden.
He was also visibly disappointed when he missed Princess Mononoke’s limited three-day IMAX run in March 2025, saying it genuinely bothered him that his schedule during the Sinners press tour kept him away from it.
Princess Mononoke was written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and released in 1997. The film follows Ashitaka, a young warrior who becomes cursed after killing a demon, and sets off on a journey that lands him in the middle of a violent conflict between humans and the forest spirits protecting their land.
It broke box-office records in Japan upon release and became the first Studio Ghibli film to receive an international theatrical release. It currently holds a 94 per cent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Jordan’s Best Actor win at the 98th Academy Awards came for his dual role as twin brothers in Sinners, the vampire drama set in the Jim Crow South, directed by Ryan Coogler. In his acceptance speech, he acknowledged the Black actors who had come before him and credited them with opening the door.
Both Sinners and Princess Mononoke are currently available to stream on HBO Max.
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