Michael B. Jordan and Lupita Nyong’o Talk Their Chemistry and That Elevator Moment (Exclusive)

The ‘Black Panther’ co-stars experienced a funny mishap while filming the elevator skit.

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ET’s Kevin Frazier caught up with Black Panther co-stars Michael B. Jordan and Lupita Nyong’o at a Variety Screening Series Q&A OF their beloved superhero film in New York City on Thursday, where talk quickly turned to their obvious chemistry. 

"No, we’re good friends, honestly, we’ve known each other a really long time and respect each other and I love this girl to death,” Jordan tells ET. 

"It’s flattering at the end of the day. I think it’s such a rare thing to find people you have good chemistry with and too for us to find each other as actors and get to work together, it makes the work richer that we truly enjoy each other’s company on and off screen,” Nyong’o adds. 

That chemistry was very apparent when the two participated in a sketch for InStyle at the magazine’s Golden Globes after-party. Jordan and Nyong’o were caught making out in an elevator by their co-star Danai Gurira, who pushed Jordan aside before grabbing Nyong’o for her own passionate kiss. But the moment turned silly when Jordan is seen rushing over to the ladies as the elevator doors close. 

"They took a little spill, and I couldn’t even get them,” Jordan explains. 

"You can tell the truth. This is the thing, first of all, Danai, she commits to everything, so she really committed to that whatever swoop and it took me by surprise,” Nyong’o admits. "We were both in stilettos, so we ended up on the ground.”

Jordan notes he tried to time it out right so he could help his co-stars and stay out of the shot. 

"I’m watching from the other side like slowly start to tip over,” he says. "Like, alright the doors are kinda closing, so I tried to time it to try and catch them, but it was too late."

"It was a slow, clunky fall to the ground. Yeah, it was really funny,” Nyong’o adds. 

Almost a year after its release, Black Panther still has plenty of buzz. The Marvel film was nominated for two SAG Awards and even has some Oscars buzz. 

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"It’s incredible and at the end of the day, I think what we’re seeing, it’s a blessing to see that this film still resonates and that it’s just proof positive that it’s working for people and that it was relevant last year and it continues to be relevant,” Nyong’o says. “There’s a universality to it and hopefully a timelessness as well.”

So do these two want that Oscars glory?

“I think the film itself already won in my eyes,” Jordan notes. "The fact that we’re still talking about it today, the community, the culture, the energy, the representation, the box office. We did it. To get recognition from the Academy on that level is the icing on the cake. It’s the cherry on top.”

The SAG Awards air Sunday, Jan. 27 on TNT and TBS. 

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