Wunmi Mosaku, who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for the film “Sinners,” spoke exclusively with the AmNews about working with fellow Academy Award nominees, actor Michael B. Jordan and director Ryan Coogler, in the film that set a record last month for most Academy Award nominations with 16.
”First of all, I was attracted to the fact that it was a Ryan Coogler project,” the Nigerian-born actress said when asked about her reaction when she first read the script. “That, to me, means it’s going to be culturally relevant, it’s going to be beautifully shot, it’s going to be a cinematic experience.
“When I read the first seven pages that I was sent, it was a scene between Annie and Smoke. I was bowled over by the depth and breadth of their humanity, love, grief, fears, joys, similarities, and differences. In seven pages, to have written that so succinctly and clearly without any battering over the head with exposition, I’ve never read anything quite like it,” she said about her attraction to the role of Annie and the film itself.
“You see so much of their world, their lives, the history in seven pages. I cared about them in those seven pages so deeply. I loved them. And when I was given the whole script, I fell in love with absolutely every single character on the page. They were all so well-written, rounded, and grounded. All, good or bad, had all shades of everything within them.
“Michael is such a passionate leader and a diligent and detailed actor, so as a scene partner, I couldn’t ask for anything more,” Mosaku said when asked about working with Michael B. Jordan’s character, Smoke. “We created such a safe, creative space that there were no wrong answers. If I were scared, if he was scared, we’d talk about it, and we’d say, there is no wrong. If you have the instinct, just go for it, and that was quite liberating and scary, but also scary in a good way because we were really pushing ourselves, challenging ourselves, and trying to make sure we weren’t sticking in our zone of comfort. He’s really great at that and inspiring everyone to push. Whether it’s professionally or personally, his work in this is so clear and detailed. I could tell if he was Smoke with my back turned. I could tell the moment he walked onto set with or without his costume, which character he was going to tackle first. His energy, his vibration, everything was so specific.”
Finally, I asked Mosaku, who previously appeared in “Lovecraft Country” and “Loki,” about working with Coogler, not only as a director but also as a writer.
“Ryan is such a strong and clear leader, but he does it in such a gentle way,” she shared. “He creates family first. We are here to share and create, and he trusts each person in their role, whether it’s the set design, whether it’s DoP [director of photography], whether it’s an actor, whether it’s catering, he treats each person, each character, each role on set as a head of department. That you are equipped to do your work brilliantly; that is how he makes you feel.”
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