Ryan Coogler on “Sinners”

The New Yorker Radio Hour

WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

News, David, Books, Arts, Storytelling, Wnyc, New, Remnick, News Commentary, Yorker, Politics

4.2 • 5.5K Ratings

🗓️ 15 April 2025

⏱️ 23 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The director talks with the staff writer Jelani Cobb about his influences and mentors, and how he made a vampire story “uniquely personal.”

Transcript

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0:00.0	Listener supported, WNYC Studios.
0:10.8	This is The New Yorker Radio Hour, a co-production of WNYC Studios and The New Yorker.
0:17.9	This is the New Yorker Radio Hour. I'm David Remnick.
0:23.0	Ryan Coogler began his career in film as a realist. His indie debut is called Fruitvale
0:29.9	Station. It's a tragedy about a police killing in the Bay Area train station, and it scrupulously
0:35.6	followed the last day of the victim's life, leading
0:38.2	up to the shooting. Cougler moved from there to the drama of creed about a young boxer,
0:45.8	a film that was in the line of Rocky. And then he went on to make the super commercial
0:50.9	widescreen fantasy, a Marvel hit called Black Panther, of course.
0:56.6	In his new movie, which is called Sinners, Ryan Coogler is still dealing with themes of race
1:01.8	and history and faith, but this time he's packed it with vampires.
1:06.4	What y'all doing? Just step aside and let me on in now.
1:10.4	Why you need him to do that?
1:12.6	You big and strong enough to push passes?
1:14.6	Well, that wouldn't be too polite now, would it, Miss Andy?
1:18.6	I don't know why I'm talking to you anyway.
1:21.6	Don't talk to him. You're talking to me right now.
1:24.6	Why you can't just walk your big ass up in here without an environment, huh?
1:28.7	Go ahead.
1:29.8	Admit to it.
1:31.8	Admit to what?
1:33.3	That you dead.
	...

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