All My Children Stars React to Michael B. Jordan’s Oscars Win
Long before he took home the Oscar for Lead Actor at the 98th Annual Academy Awards for his work in Sinners, All My Children fans knew and loved Michael B. Jordan as Reggie Porter, the rough-around-the-edges but fiercely loyal teen who was adopted into the Montgomery family. Jordan played Reggie from 2003-06, assuming the role from the late Chadwick Boseman, and several of his former AMC co-stars took to social media to offer him hearty congratulations in the wake of his landmark victory.
Going Places
Walt Willey, who played Reggie’s adoptive father, Jackson, worked closely with the young actor during his days in Pine Valley. Off-camera, the pair was also tight, with Willey frequently chauffeuring Jordan from their homes in New Jersey to the AMC studio in midtown Manhattan, and when he appeared on Soap Opera Digest‘s podcast, Dishing with Digest, Willey spoke fondly of his former castmate. “Here’s a young man who, as far as I’m concerned, deserves everything that he’s gotten, everything,” he declared. “I’m super-proud of him. He’s my boy for Pete’s sake!”
Following Jordan’s triumph at the Academy Awards, Willey exulted on Facebook, “CONGRATULATIONS to my AMC son, ‘Reggie,’ Michael B. Jordan, for last night’s Oscar win! Such a proud father am I! All of us at AMC knew that Michael was going to be BIG!”
The actor shared his memories of Jordan learning that he was going to be written off the show. “When he came on set after a meeting with our Executive Producer and – with tears in his eyes – shared that AMC would not be picking up his contract, we all had the same reaction: ‘You’re on to bigger and better things, MJ!’ And, boy, was he ever!”
Willey went on to recall, “Michael used to ride in to work and back home with me when our schedules coordinated. His Mom would drop him off (they lived in Newark) at a donut shop in Jersey City (where I lived), I’d pick him up and off we’d go. We enjoyed each other’s company and I found him to be a fascinating and earnest young man, with strong family ties, a fantastic work ethic and decent to the bone. And he still is all that. So congratulations again – and ALL LOVE – to one of the hardest working and most deserving actors out there!”
In 2005, Willey’s character, Jack, tied the knot with Erica Kane, played by Susan Lucci, making the daytime legend Jordan’s on-screen stepmother. The actress offered her well wishes to Jordan on Instagram, writing, “Congratulations Michael B. Jordan on your Oscar! I watched last night and was so excited to see you win!! AND what a beautiful, gracious, and authentic acceptance speech you gave. So proud to have worked with Michael on AMC!!! What a spectacular actor he is!!!”
When Erica married Jack and the Kane and Montgomery clans blended, Eden Riegel, who played Erica’s daughter Bianca, became Jordan’s on-screen sister. Riegel, too, offered a warm reaction to Jordan’s win on Instagram, cheering, “Congrats to this king. So, so, so so proud.”
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