Michael B. Jordan on Being Public About Lori Harvey Relationship: 'I Finally Found What Love Was'

Michael B. Jordan
Michael B. Jordan
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Chrisean Rose

Michael B. Jordan is happily in love.

The 34-year-old A Journal for Jordan actor celebrated his one-year anniversary with girlfriend Lori Harvey earlier this month, a milestone that came after he made their relationship Instagram official in January following months of rumors.

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter for the magazine's latest cover story, Jordan explains why he felt comfortable sharing his personal relationship publicly, plus why he was finally ready to star in a romantic film.

"There are roles that I passed on that I knew I didn't have enough life experience to play. I was like, 'What can I pull from?' But I finally found what love was," he said.

"When I was younger, I don't know if I could have handled the onslaught of opinions and being picked apart, and also being conscious of what the other person's going to go through," Jordan said about dating in the public eye. "It takes a special person to deal with that."

His relationship with Harvey, 24, felt "real enough" to share openly, he told the publication.

"There's a premeditated planning of staying out of the way [of the public eye] that sometimes kills spontaneity and intimacy. I wanted to take that away and give this the best chance it had, in this weird world that we live in, to be somewhat normal. Long story short, I think it's just the timing of everything. It was the right time for me. Yeah. I'm happy."

RELATED: Michael B. Jordan Joins Girlfriend Lori Harvey's Family for Thanksgiving: 'We Start Eating Early'

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A source told PEOPLE back in February of their relationship, "They have gotten serious quickly. It's obvious that they don't want to be apart. When they don't travel together, Lori spends a lot of time in Los Angeles with Michael."

Jordan then told PEOPLE in April why it was the first time he's been so public about his love life.

"I'm still private, and I want to protect that, but it just felt like it was a moment of just wanting to put it out there and move on," he said at the time. "I am extremely happy."

"I think when you get older, you feel more comfortable about the [public nature] of the business that we're in," Jordan added. "So for me, it was a moment to, I guess, take ownership of that and then get back to work."

A Journal for Jordan opens in theaters on Christmas Day.