In Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners,” Wunmi Mosaku radiated passion as Annie, a perceptive Hoodoo practitioner and the estranged wife of juke joint owner Smoke (Michael B. Jordan). In a world of vampires and transcendent blues, she best understood matters of the spirit.
Annie does not limit herself to face value explanations of the world. Did you feel a kinship with that element of your character?
I felt a deep desire to be closer to her way of interacting with the world. With acting, there’s this belief in what’s not really happening, what’s not real. But what Annie believes is very real. It is very tangible, and she’s fully connected. As an actor, I would love to feel like I was in it, really in it.
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I don’t want to liken spirituality and the desire to be really in character, because those are distinct. One is profound. We can imagine it as an ethereal, intangible thing. But actually, when you have great faith, it is so concrete and so tangible and so real. It’s hard to kind of put them together. Acting is fun. It’s a game of chicken—how far can you go? But it’s not real.
Do you approach characters any differently for a fantasy project compared to more grounded work?
I did exactly the same as I always do. If you are playing “This is fantasy,” then you’re playing that this isn’t real. But you have to play that this is real. It can feel really melodramatic sometimes. There’s the technical elements; sometimes we were playing to a tennis ball. Those are the things that I find really hard.
You know what I find really hard? Dying. With a stake through the heart, I have no idea what that will feel like. I don’t know if anyone’s reported back. I just try and believe.
What’s the best acting lesson you’ve ever learned?
The audience is a member of the whole production, too. In a theater, they’re there, and then on film, it’s through the camera. The last thing you want to do is strain and reach for them. Think of what’s happening onstage between you and the audience as an elastic band. Leaning toward them, desperate for them—it takes the tension away. Stay grounded in the moment. That keeps the elasticity and the tension in the room.
Who gave one of your favorite 2025 screen performances?
Delroy Lindo in “Sinners.” He’s an actual master of the craft. The way he laughs as Delta Slim is so different from the way he laughs as Delroy. I feel like when I laugh, it’s my laugh.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
