WATCH | Wunmi Mosaku On The Magic Of ‘Sinners’ And The Artistry Of Ryan Coogler - video Dailymotion

essencemagazine

The actress shares what made this film a cinematic calling, and why every character left a lasting impression on her heart.

Transcript

00:00I hope that people love these characters as much as we love these characters.

00:10When I finished reading the script, I thought to myself, I have never, and I actually said

00:14it to my agent, I've never read a script where I love and care for every single character

00:19that's written on the page.

00:21My name is Oakley Jones with Essend Magazine, Wound Me, I'm very excited to speak with you

00:30again.

00:31You know, I haven't been invested with a film quite like I am with Sinners, and I'm just

00:35happy for the world to be able to see the film and be able to speak with you again.

00:39Thank you so much.

00:40Good to see you again.

00:41Likewise.

00:42Likewise.

00:43For my first question, your character Annie, she's described as a spiritual leader and a

00:47healer.

00:49Can you talk about the role that she plays in the community?

00:53She is a spiritualist, a conjure woman, a healer.

00:58She is a pillar and center in the community.

01:02She owns a little shop where with roots and herbs and hoodoos, and then also hoodo practices.

01:14She also cooks.

01:19She smokes other half.

01:23She is a part of him in a way that she's his healer and his sanctuary, his place of vulnerability

01:34and openness, he can't hide from her, neither can she hide from him.

01:43She's a mother, and yeah, she's someone who is deeply rooted in her traditions, she's connected

01:53to the motherland, she's connected to the spiritual world.

01:56She's connected to the community, she's a very powerful person.

02:03So I think Sinners has a very unique storyline and unique plot.

02:10What drew you to the role of Sinners?

02:12Was it the genre-bending nature of the story?

02:15Was it Annie's character?

02:16Was it Ryan Coogler?

02:17Like, what was it for you?

02:18I mean, first and foremost, Ryan Coogler, someone who I deeply respect and I'm inspired

02:25by.

02:26I just think his artistry is so profound and necessary and he's a beacon and a keeper of

02:35Pan-African culture.

02:37I mean, he's a keeper of the culture and he like spotlights us and ours.

02:47I feel like the first seven pages I read were some of the most beautiful writing I had ever

02:56read.

02:57The scene between Annie and Smoke, that's all I had when I had my first meeting with him

03:02and I just felt this love for the two of them.

03:09I mean, I had never read something that was so perfectly written where you understand their

03:19history, their grief, their love, their hopes, their fears.

03:25They're why's and they're why not's, I guess.

03:31I wanted to be a part of that from the moment I read that.

03:35And I didn't have the whole script initially.

03:37I read that, I met Ryan, I was inspired by him.

03:42That meeting, he's so thoughtful, he's so intelligent and so eloquent.

03:48And he sees things in a way that I need his eye for me to see it too.

03:59In everything that he's done, I've been so grateful for his perspective and his wisdom,

04:06because it's taught me something for myself, for my hopes for the future.

04:15And so, yeah.

04:16When I heard Ryan Coogler, I knew that it was going to be special and then I knew I wanted

04:21to be a part of it.

04:25So I was able to see an early cut of the film and then, you know, as it got cut down, you

04:31know, you have a heightened role in what the finished product is now.

04:36How much does that excite you and what do you hope audiences would take from your performance?

04:40I, yeah, again, I just feel like so honored to be in this movie and to be, have the arc

04:48that my character does, like she, she's, she's an integral part of their understanding and

04:58their fight.

04:59And I, I hope that, I hope that people love these characters as much as we love these characters.

05:15I, I, when I finished reading the script, I thought to myself, I have never, and I actually

05:21said it to my agent, I've never read a script where I love and care for every single character

05:25that's written on the page, whether it's the young girl outside the, the, the store at the

05:31beginning, keeping an eye on the truck.

05:34I love her.

05:35I feel like I love that scene.

05:37I love that, that teaching of community and this is how you survive.

05:43Every single character that, uh, the Choctaw, um, chiefs at the beginning, I feel like I love

05:51them.

05:52Everyone's written so well, um, I hope that every person who watches this film loves each

05:59of these characters and feels for each of these characters in the same way that we do.

06:04So you spoke about Smoke earlier.

06:06I actually want to talk about Stack now, well, specifically Smoke and Stack.

06:10Um, what was it like playing alongside like opposites?

06:14You were playing with Michael B. Jordan.

06:16What was it like acting alongside Stack and alongside Smoke and was that like a challenge

06:21for you at all?

06:23Um, honestly, Michael, Michael's work was so detailed that it was so clear who he was even

06:31in rehearsal.

06:32Um, his energy was different when he came onto a set.

06:36When he was Smoke, I felt like we gravitated towards each other.

06:40I feel like, especially in the emotional scenes, there was always like, I was always kind

06:44of by his side behind him as support.

06:47And when he was Stack, he, he'd be doing his, his thing and I wouldn't even, I, I, I would

06:53be like, oh, that's Stack.

06:54Stack.

06:55You know, there was this, there was just such an energy shift with him that was so apparent.

07:01I could tell with my back turned if he was Smoke or Stack, I could tell so clearly.

07:07Um, so it was actually pretty, other than the technicalities of the actual filming, doing

07:12the scenes a certain way, a certain way, it was actually pretty easy.

07:17It was, it was easy because, because he, they, they were so different.

07:23They were so different.

07:25So for you, how big of a role do you think, uh, the music and the blues aspect played in

07:32the film for you?

07:34Oh, I think the music is, is an, is the heartbeat.

07:38Um, I think Sammy is the heartbeat, um, his love, his passion, his, his actual voice, like

07:47his journey, um, to the blues, his, his fight from, against his family, his love, his discovery

07:59of himself as an artist.

08:02Um, I just think it's, it's all, I think of the blues and Sammy kind of entwined in, in

08:10that it's the, it's the, it's a journey of like torment and, and, and, and, and love.

08:17Um, I think the blues is absolutely integral to the movie.

08:23So one thing I thought was really interesting when I was, um, you know, doing research on

08:27you and research on the film, um, Ryan called this film a, uh, comfort food movie.

08:33Um, it's something that he thinks is a personal and exciting for him as a moviegoer, because

08:38he's a director.

08:39But of course, I know he's a fan of film as well as, as are you, uh, how do you think

08:43that energy translated on set for you?

08:45I mean, it was amazing.

08:47Um, Ryan has such, uh, love and, um, respect for movie making and movie makers.

08:57I mean, but he also like, you know, he, he would always joke like, well, not joke, but

09:03he would always say, well, we're making a major movie motion picture, maybe major, major

09:11motion picture.

09:12He'd say, um, like, like every day, maybe three times, like guys, we're making a major

09:17motion picture.

09:19And it seems, seems like obvious, but actually when he says it like that, you're like, wow,

09:25we're really doing this.

09:26We're really creating something together and let it be major, like let it be.

09:33Um, so there was always a reverence there and there was all, and there was always a reverence

09:39from everyone surrounding Ryan of the work that he puts out into the world.

09:46Um, so I, I dunno, I, the, the, the feeling was always respect and enjoyment and wow, we're

09:56really doing it.

09:57We're making, we're making a piece of, of like culture, like it's a thing, it's going to be

10:07part of the culture and yeah.

10:10Well, Wumi, I appreciate you so, so much.

10:14I always love speaking with you.

10:16Um, the film is amazing and I know the world is going to think the same thing and you had

10:21an amazing performance.

10:22I'm just, I'm really happy.

10:23I'm, I'm excited for you.

10:24Thank you so much.

10:25Bye.

10:26Bye.

10:27Bye.

10:28Bye.

10:29Bye.

10:30Bye.

10:31Bye.

10:32Bye.

10:33Bye.

10:34Bye.

10:35Bye.

10:36Bye.

10:37Bye.

10:38Bye.

10:39Bye.

10:40Bye.

10:41Bye.

10:43Bye.

10:44Bye.

10:45Bye.

10:46Bye.

10:47Bye.

10:48Bye.

10:49Bye.

10:50Bye.

10:51Bye.

10:52Bye.

10:53Bye.

10:54Bye.

WATCH | Wunmi Mosaku On The Magic Of ‘Sinners’ And The Artistry Of Ryan Coogler

Category

Transcript

Recommended