Ryan Coogler’s Sinners will premiere in theaters on April 18, stacked with a superstar cast led by Michael B. Jordan. This being the pair’s fifth film working together, the two said their shorthand with one another has only gotten stronger.
Coogler speaks very highly of Jordan’s work ethic and kindness, and the impact it had on the set and cast of Sinners.
“Everybody who went through the works and stepped on set, they were trying to be better than they were on their last,” Coogler said. “And I believe that they’re going to be better than they were in this movie, on the next. That’s the type of people we hired, and that culture starts with Mike.”
The entire Sinners cast spoke exceptionally about Coogler’s visions and the space he created on set for the actors to thrive, leaving them room for creative freedom, dipping into their own interpretations of characters and scenes. In all of Coogler’s projects, he is praised for the energy he brings to set, and how it sparks this infectious, collaborative vibe between the entire team.
“Once we got to set, once everybody came out of the trailers, everybody was equal,” said Omar Benson Miller, who plays the role of Cornbread. “And for somebody who’s had an underdog element to his whole career, I value that so much. To me, that was something that I [left] with, leaving that set.”
Cast members also praised Coogler for telling this story with aspects of the Black experience while managing to give the same attention to detail to other cultures intertwined in this story. The film takes place in 1930s Jim Crow South, so there was a strong cultural presence in the story as well.
Jack O’Connell, who plays the villainous role of Remmick, said, “There’s a real richness, a real depth to Ryan’s writing. What we were striving towards, it wasn’t superficial. It was grounded in something that’s rooted in history and that to me, was the main thing I was loving to latch on to, was the cultural richness that our characters were representing in individual ways.”
Coogler was able to incorporate these cultural aspects, while combining vampires into the mix, making it a period supernatural horror film. Having written, directed, and produced this film, Coogler was really able to showcase his outstanding abilities as a creative force in Hollywood.
Michael B. Jordan, who plays the dual roles of twins Smoke and Stack, spoke about the non-verbal communication between him and Coogler on set, which strengthened after Jordan directed his first film.
“For me to be able to be an extra set of eyes for him, help where I can or anticipate his movements or needs, allowed us to maybe get a little bit more done,” said Jordan. “Especially when time is always an issue on set in general.”
The Sinners set acted as a space for creative freedom and development to thrive, and many cast members were grateful for the faith that Coogler had in each of them throughout filming.
Jayme Lawson, who plays the role of Pearline, said, “To be able to watch Ryan work, I wanted to be in that room at all times, and I am forever grateful for that.”