Michael B. Jordan needed therapy after playing villain Erik Killmonger in the 2018 film Black Panther. “After the movie, I was a bit stuck in it,” the actor explains on the American television program CBS Sunday Morning.

“I went to therapy, talked about it, and found a way to relax a bit,” says the 38-year-old Jordan. “That’s when I learned I needed to relax after playing a character.”

Acting often feels lonely, according to Jordan, but by talking about it, he realized that after filming, he still carried a bit of Killmonger with him. He says he had to let that slide.

However, it was difficult for the Sinners actor to let go of Killmonger, because he had completely immersed himself in the character before filming. “Erik didn’t really know much love, I don’t think he experienced that,” says Jordan.

“He experienced a lot of betrayal; there were a lot of failures that shaped him and fueled his anger and frustration.”

In the superhero film, Killmonger is the estranged nephew of the deceased king, who wants to lay claim to the throne of the fictional African nation of Wakanda.

He grew up fatherless in the United States, but returned to his native land after years to challenge the new king, T’Challa, the superhero Black Panther.