I had the opportunity to attend a press conference with the cast of the upcoming movie Sinners. This was a 20 minute inside look on how the cast viewed their roles, and the experience that they had creating this movie.
From the get-go, the overwhelming chemistry of this cast was apparent and contagious. It was obvious that they got along as more than coworkers, like a group of friends having a good time. They had nothing but praise for each other, which I think is important in a film. A cast that gets along and feeds off each other’s energy is so evident in the end result of the film, so this press conference made me excited to see their on stage personas bring to life the love they have for each other.
“He’s such an incredible sport, and the way he moves, kindness as a default…in an industry where it can get very high stress, very toxic, it’s good to have somebody who knows that value of keeping it loving and respectful,” Ryan Coogler said about Michael B Jordan.
Miles Caton, whose breakout role is his character in Sinners, emphasized how welcoming and open the cast was, and how this experience was really a master class of the art. He said that all of the experienced actors showed him so much love and that he was able to grow so much.
Moving through the press conference, the diverse story that is told in Sinners becomes apparent. The cast members applauded the cultural richness of Coogler’s writing, as well as the diverse stories they get to tell which are sometimes forgotten in history classes. For example, Li Jun Li plays an Asian American from the south, a demographic that isn’t often portrayed but was a prominent population during the time period the movie is set.
Hailee Steinfeld described the hard work of all the cast that resulted in the film. She said that some scenes could only be filmed at night, so they would often arrive when it was light, film all night and end up leaving when it was light again. This was not a complaint though, as other cast members added they sometimes went to scenes they didn’t even have to, because they were so enthralled with the work and genuinely enjoyed going to work.
Towards the end of the press conference, the cast erupted into laughter as Omar Benson Miller accused someone of “Darth Vader” breathing into their mic. They laughed for a while and exchanged inside jokes before proceeding with the questions. This real moment again emphasized how much fun the cast has together, and as I mentioned before, this is such an important part of movies that isn’t often talked about. If the cast gets along and really wants to be there while making the film with each other, the passion exudes out of them in the final project.
Sinners comes out on April 18, 2025, and you can bet I’ll be in the audience. The cast was so genuinely excited about this project that it would be impossible for me to pass up after hearing about it directly from them.