Fil-Am Hailee Steinfeld recalls 1st meeting with 'Sinners' director Ryan Coogler
MANILA, Philippines — Filipino-American actress Hailee Steinfeld credited the success of her latest film "Sinners" to filmmaker Ryan Coogler who directed, wrote, and co-produced the movie.
"Sinners" stars Michael B. Jordan, a frequent collaborator of Coogler, as twin brothers returning to their hometown where "an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back."
Co-starring with Jordan and Steinfeld, who plays Mary in the film, are Miles Caton, Jack O'Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Omar Miller, Li Jun Li, and Delroy Lindo.
Steinfeld admitted in an interview that she had never played a role like Mary, recalling her first conversation with Coogler that made the character compelling to her.
"Mary has this fierce confidence and power that she knows is there, but she's also simultaneously discovering it in real time and using it in a way that is so smart. And I got to lean into the part of this role that feels very mature and adult," she said. "I've waited a long time to be this moved by a role and when I read it for the first time, it was a really fun process."
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The Oscar nominee added her conversations with Coogler and Jordan helped her fall deeper in love with Mary, the story of "Sinners," and where Mary fits in it.
"It's a very complex and intricate story, and this character is one that challenged me in ways that I haven't been challenged before, and that was very exciting," Steinfeld shared.
Going back to the first time she met Coogler, Steinfeld admitted initially being nervous but eventually at ease at the filmmaker's presence.
"I think that was one of the most special parts — looking back and thinking about this experience as a whole — that every single person felt that their presence was important and needed and necessary," the actress said.
It took until their first conversation for Steinfeld to fully realize the script and Coogler's grand ideas because she had yet to read anything.
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"It's a wild, wild movie, yet somehow it is so easy to break down and understand when you really allow yourself to get lost in it," Steinfeld ended. "This is a movie that you're gonna have to see multiple times, because every time, you're gonna take something else away from it."
Steinfeld received an Oscar nomination in her breakthrough film "True Grit." She went on to star in "The Edge of Seventeen," "Bumblebee," "Dickinson," "Hawkeye," and the "Pitch Perfect" sequels.
She lent her voice to Gwen Stacy in the "Spider-Verse" movies and Vi in the "Arcane" series.
Coogler previously directed "Fruitvale Station," "Creed," and the two "Black Panther" movies, the latter all starring Jordan. Coogler produced "Judas and the Black Messiah," "Space Jam: A New Legacy," and the third "Creed" film.
"Sinners" premieres in Philippine cinemas on April 19, Black Saturday.
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