"Sinners" Director Ryan Coogler Opened Up About His Favourite Part Of Filmmaking, And It's Not What You'd Expect

Buzz Feed

23-04-2025

If you know anything about filmmaker Ryan Coogler, it's that he's passionate, insightful, and deeply intentional with his work.
But when he sat down with us to discuss Sinners, the filmmaker opened up about what truly fuels his love for the craft, and it's not honestly so inspiring.
Speaking to BuzzFeed UK alongside Michael B Jordan, Ryan shared that there isn't any part of the filmmaking process he doesn't love, but he finds producing most rewarding, saying; 'I feel like I'm helping somebody do the thing that I really like.'
Ryan went on to say that while he loves writing and directing, the feeling of bringing someone's dream movie to life is the pinnacle; 'It's very addictive. You're in service to somebody else's vision in an art form that you know can be impactful,' he shared.
Sinners is the first feature film he's has written, directed, and produced, but the first film he produced through Proximity Media – his production company – was Judas and the Black Messiah back in 2021.
The Fred Hampton biopic picked up numerous accolades, and director Shaka King has been open about how much of an impact Ryan's input had on its success.
Shaka revealed that it was Ryan who suggested Daniel Kaluuya play Fred and that Ryan's involvement was something that gave him confidence in the film's potential, saying; 'I expected, quite frankly, all of the studios to jump at the opportunity to make it just because of the stacked team we were bringing to them. With Ryan Coogler right on the heels of Black Panther."
And though he loves producing, those who have worked with Ryan Coogler when he's wearing his director hat shared the same high praise – Hailee Steinfeld described watching his process on Sinners as a "core memory."
Warner Bros. Pictures