Dallas County Living Well Magazine November/December 2022 | Page 29

Since the Creed role , a few of Jordan ’ s other starring parts , such as in the Black Panther , No Remorse , and Creed II , have required him to stay in excellent shape . As a result , he ’ s stuck to a workout and diet routine that helps him portray a boxer , an elite Navy SEAL , and a supervillain , respectively .
To prepare for Black Panther , Jordan ’ s trainer had him lift heavy weights twice daily , including bench presses , lat pulldowns , and deadlifts . Additionally , he did aquatic fitness routines for No Remorse . Workouts for Creed focused on cardio , such as boxing . Jordan drank a gallon of water daily and ate five to six small , clean , carb-heavy meals a day .
“ It ’ s hard to go out to a club or a party when you ’ re like , ‘ Oh , wait ! Meal prep ! We gotta go pop this thing in the microwave and eat food .’ It ’ s tough to socialize when you gotta get in shape like that ,” the 35-year-old Jordan said on The Ellen Degeneres Show .
Jordan may have even less time to socialize with his additional title as executive producer . After launching the production company Outlier Productions in 2019 , he co-produced the animated series Gen : Lock and the legal drama Just Mercy . Also , his production company signed a deal with Amazon and is developing Val-Zod , an HBO Max series featuring a Black version of the DC Comics character Superman .
“ I ’ ve passed on a lot because I can ’ t play every black historical figure . There are other amazing , talented actors out there that should have opportunities for those ,” he told Men ’ s Health . “ One of the reasons [ I started ] the production company was I wanted to be able to open up the doors for other people that haven ’ t had those shots , that maybe couldn ’ t see the pathway or the move to carve out their piece .”
Jordan is ready to make his directorial debut with Creed III , which includes boxing champion Canelo Alvarez , in addition to producing and repeating his starring role as boxer Donnie Creed , set to release in March 2023 .
“ Directing has always been an aspiration , but the timing had to be right ,” Jordan said in an interview with Variety . “ Creed III is that moment — a time in my life where I ’ ve grown more sure of who I am , holding agency in my own story , maturing personally , growing professionally , and learning from the greats like Ryan Coogler , most recently Denzel Washington , and other top tier directors I respect . All of which sets the table for this moment .”
Jordan is producing and starring in the sequel of I Am Legend with Will Smith . There ’ s no official release date yet .
In the meantime , Jordan has been settling into the $ 12.5 million brand-new mansion in L . A .’ s Encino community that he bought in May .

“ IT ’ S HARD TO GO OUT TO A CLUB OR A PARTY WHEN YOU ’ RE LIKE , ‘ OH , WAIT ! MEAL PREP !”

DALLAS COUNTY • 27