There’s been enough time since the release of Sinners that we just have to talk about the most glorious and impactful scene from Ryan Coogler’s vampire opus. The light that Sammie (Miles Caton) brings to the juke joint his twin cousins Smoke and Stack (both Michael B. Jordan) open to showcase the power of his music raises the spirits of not only everyone, there but also the energy of those who came before and who were to come after.
Wunmi Mosaku, who co-stars as Annie, Smoke’s estranged wife, recently discussed the scene with the Hollywood Reporter—including how it gave her insight about how Annie wasn’t meant for a bad fate.
Mosaku told the trade the scene wasn’t in the film until the Sinners read-through. “The script I got two days before the read-through had the past and future ancestors in the scene, and I got chills,” she recalled.
“That extra detail, I was like, ‘Wow, this man is a genius.’ Ryan is so brilliant that he took what I thought was already a perfect script and elevated it in such a way. So, when we got to the read-through, it was so powerful, and we were all in tears, especially hearing Miles sing for the first time.”
Filming the scene, Mosaku said, is an experience that will always stay with her. “It was shot over two days, and the first one was the exterior at night. There was a lot of technicality because of the fire and the crane. I keep saying the word magical when describing this experience, but it really was. We were really joyful and hyped and excited on that day, and seeing all the acrobats and stunt people and the dancers just blew us away.”
Moasku continued. “The second day came weeks later, and we got to talk with everyone more. There was less fire, less bugs and so many beautiful moments. I brought my family to set; my daughter, my husband and my in-laws came to visit. I just thought it would be really powerful for her to be on that set and to see these people representing her people from before and after.”
“And it was really powerful. Papa Toto is the older guy who plays [a precursor to the banjo] behind Sammie, and we called him Sammie’s ancestor. So he was talking to Miles [off-camera], and what he was passing on to Miles in that moment was entirely the same sentiment that Delta Slim [Delroy Lindo] passed on to Sammie in the earlier scene. And I was just so moved that I needed to take a little snap of the moment because I didn’t want to forget it. It was so meta that they were talking about where his gift comes from: the motherland, his ancestors and what his purpose with this gift will be. This whole journey has just been so powerful.”
THR also asked the actress if she thought Annie’s fate—having her love drive a stake through her heart—was the right choice.
“Annie asked, and Annie shared with the group that this [vampiric] fate is wicked. They never see the sun or feel the warmth of a sunrise, and they’re never able to rejoin their ancestors, which, in Annie’s mind, is part of the right and righteous cycle. And then, to forever live on earth, in a place with conflict and pain and sorrow, that’s not her goal.”
It’s a heartbreaking scene which pays off when Smoke sees her and their child as he crosses over at the moment of his own death. It’s something that only occurs once he intentionally removes the protection of her mojo bag, as many have interpreted the choice. “That’s a hundred percent how I read it. He has no one left. He doesn’t have his brother, he doesn’t have his partner, he doesn’t have his baby. So what would be the point in continuing her protection? There’s also a bit of guilt there, because why does it work for him and no one else?”
Sinners is now in theaters.
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