The Sinners are coming this week, and it’s hands down the best movie of the year so far! Director Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station, Creed, Black Panther) never misses! Once more, he’s teamed up with Michael B. Jordan to bring us a stunning horror masterpiece with deeper themes. However, Jordan is not alone. Coogler has assembled an amazing ensemble of actors to bring this amazing piece of survival horror to life, including A-listers Hailee Steinfeld and Wunmi Mosaku.
We had a chance to sit down with the trio recently at the Sinners press junket earlier this month to talk about music, horror, and cultural appropriation.
Coogler’s premise for Sinners was very much inspired by Blues music in the early 20th century. So much so that Coogler followed the Blues Trail throughout Mississippi as part of the research and work that went into making the film. At its core, the film dives deeper past the origins of the blues, and into the idea of cultural appropriation, as seen through the allegories of vampire mythology. It also touches on ideas of the anger behind how racial tension has divided America, and the limits we may be willing or not willing to surpass to achieve what we perceive to be peace.
Like all his projects, Coogler’s ability to take amazing genres, like horror or superhero films, and add a relevant social lens to them to elevate them beyond what we normally see would not be possible without the perfect cast to bring those ideas to life. Which is why it’s so crucial that talents like Jordan, Steinfeld, and Mosaku were part of this project. Steinfeld’s connection to the music industry and the POC culture allows her to identify with so many elements within the deeper meanings of this movie. Mosaku’s incredible talent and experience with thought provoking horror, such as Black Mirror and Lovecraft Country made her an obvious candidate to be part of this ensemble. And of course, Jordan is a mainstay for all Coogler’s projects, bringing to life an incredible dual performance in solders and bootleggers Smoke and Stack.
As such it was an *incredible* honor to sit down with all three of them for three minutes to discuss their involvement in this project and the deeper meanings behind Sinners. Take a look at our conversation here:
That’s not all folks! We have one more round of Sinners interviews to share with you later this week, with stars Omar Miller, Li Jun Li, and the legend himself, Delroy Lindo. Stay tuned to The Nerds of Color for that.
And don’t forget to catch this absolutely phenomenal work of cinematic art, when Sinners hits theaters this Friday, April 18!