Michael B. Jordan wanted his A Journal for Jordan nude scene to be 'sophisticated' and 'elevated'

While A Journal for Jordan is mostly a family-friendly romance, there is one brief shot of a bare Michael B. Jordan that's been the butt of conversation among those who have seen the film.

"We always knew there were gonna be intimate moments that we wanted to show. I mean, what's a real love story movie without those intimate Black love moments," the actor tells EW in reference to the nude scene.

A Journal for Jordan, directed by Denzel Washington, tells the story of how journalist Dana Canedy (Chanté Adams) fell in love with First Sergeant Charles Monroe King (Jordan), and the book of wisdom the military man left for his newborn son in case he didn't come home from war.

While Jordan was game for whatever the situation called for, he was unaware of what Washington and cinematographer Maryse Alberti (The Wrestler) had planned for the scene in which Charles and Dana wake up from a night of passion. Upon Alberti's suggestion, the shot ultimately included a few frames of the actor's rear end as he opens a set of blinds.

"I knew there was a version of that coming. I didn't know exactly the shot. I didn't know exactly what it was gonna be, but me and Denzel, we joked and messed around about that as we were getting ready for that scene," says Jordan.

As for why he stripped down for A Journal for Jordan, Jordan says that as an actor, "You wanna save those moments of being vulnerable for the right project. To make sure it's sophisticated, it's elevated to the right level, when you're gonna reveal yourself like that. And yeah, this was the one for me."

Jordan previously told EW that part of his preparation for playing King was training at the Fort Irwin military base in California. As for whether boot camp also prepared him for his big scene, the actor joked, "Hey man, listen: squats."

A Journal For Jordan hit theaters on Dec. 25.

Related content:

• Denzel Washington and author Dana Canedy on how they got the A Journal for Jordan love story right
• A Journal for Jordan review: Denzel Washington's unwieldy drama is nothing to write home about
• Michael B. Jordan on how his first time working with Denzel Washington wasn't what he imagined