Wunmi Mosaku Talks Filming ‘Sinners’ And Playing Annie

In Sinners, Wunmi Mosaku leads as Annie, a soft-hearted yet strong-willed Hoodoo practitioner and herbalist who boasts strong intuition and keeps Smoke (played by Michael B. Jordan) grounded in reality. Off camera, the Nigerian-born British actress is just as sharp as she explains how stepping into the role changed her viewpoint. 

“She is so connected and so loving and understanding,” the actress tells VIBE ahead of the New York City Sinners premiere. She smiles through the discussion as she reflects on the thrilling film that intertwined fated love stories with vampire gore.

“She is like Smoke’s protector, and a protector of the culture, and of Hoodoo and Hoodoo practices, and the traditional medicines. I just feel like there was so much that she offered as a beacon of her society and community.”

Filmmaker Ryan Coogler reunites with his muse in Jordan for the movie, his first original screenplay since 2013’s Fruitvale Station, which also stars the New Jersey-bred actor. With Mosaku and the rest of the cast, which includes Hailee Steinfeld, Jack O’Connell, Jayme Lawson, Omar Benson Miller, and Delroy Lindo, Sinners ushers the director into new territory.

As the identical twins Smoke and Stack, Jordan faces the task of moving the brothers forward from their past troubles, only to be met with unforeseen obstacles in their quest to break generational curses. The residents of their hometown are keen on their lore and welcome the twins back as they must eventually band together to fight for the soul of Clarksdale, Miss.

While creating the film, the entire cast and crew ventured to Mississippi, where they not only shot the feature but also immersed themselves in the magic of the Magnolia State, soaking up knowledge from experts on twins, Hoodoo, and the rich history of the Deep South. 

For Mosaku, the experience had a profoundly lasting impact on her life. Prior to Sinners, the BAFTA-winning actress has excelled in roles that have taken her far from her Manchester, England, upbringing. From playing Hunter B-15 in the Marvel Cinematic Universe series Loki to portraying Ruby Baptiste in HBO’s haunting Lovecraft County, Mosaku has perfected the subtle art of scene-stealing. 

She takes away something from each role, and her future on the silver screen exists in the same vein. For Mosaku, learning and exploring are part of the job. As her journey continues, the 38-year-old artiste hopes to build on her “spiritual life and my connectedness, tapping into my power” through her dynamic characters.

Read below where she elaborates on what she learned from her portrayal of Annie, enticing Michael B. Jordan as Smoke, and the genius of Ryan Coogler. Catch Sinners in theaters on April 18, 2025.

VIBE: Tell me about the inspiration and the research behind your character Annie? 

Wunmi Mosaku: So much was on the page. She is so connected and so loving and understanding. She is like Smoke’s protector and a protector of the culture, and of Hoodoo and of the Hoodoo practices, and the traditional medicines. I just feel like there was so much that she offered as a beacon of her society and community. I feel like I did a lot of research into Hoodoo because that was such an integral part of who she is, and it really took me by surprise. I didn’t know anything about it. I had only heard of Voodoo in James Bond and in The Crucible, and that was it. I thought it was a scary thing, and all of a sudden, I’m inspired and feel like this is such a beautiful and healing and loving practice.

I met Hoodoo priestesses, conjure women, people who talked me through their lineage and their community and their initiation. I learned so much about that, and it in turn, taught me a lot about myself because I’m a Yoruba woman, and I had never heard about Ifa. I’d never done any research into it. And realizing that these women, this culture, this practice is actually a part of my ancestry, too. It was a profound awakening for me.

With you having that awakening with playing this character, do you see yourself in Annie at all? Can you relate to her in any way?

I do. I feel like she taught me a lot about myself, but obviously, we’re both mothers. I felt like I really wanted to and needed to tap into my power. That’s something I think I shy away from, and I don’t know why, but I do. And playing her, I felt powerful. I felt connected. I was having dreams. I was having messages. I felt vibrationally I was tapping into her, she was tapping into me, and there was something brewing and a wisdom deepening. 

Can you speak a little bit about developing a bond with Michael B. Jordan and how you guys built that on set?

We were very lucky because we had two weeks of rehearsals. So Michael, me, and Ryan, we would sit in a room and we would talk about the two of them (Annie and Smoke), but we would also talk about ourselves, our similarities, the things that we want, pray for, hope for within ourselves, [and] for the characters. It was a very open, vulnerable space, but it was a sacred space because we really shared. We became family, we created a safe space. I remember saying to him once, ‘Oh, I just felt like I really wanted to hold your hand, but I didn’t want to get in your way. I felt like this is what Annie wanted to do, but I wasn’t sure if that’s what Smoke needed.’

Because it’s like Annie knows Smoke, she will do what Smoke needs, but Wunmi is still learning Michael, and Wunmi is still learning Smoke in a way. I said, ‘I felt like I wanted to do this.’ And he was like, ‘I felt like I wanted to do that.’ We were like, ‘whatever you feel, just do now.’ We now know that our instincts are right. Our instincts are in sync, so now we are not allowed to be afraid; just do. That was a really beautiful moment. We were like, ‘Okay, tomorrow if we feel it, we do it.’ And we know that we are in a safe place, there’s no wrong answers.’

The love story between Annie and Smoke is my favorite underlying storyline. What are some of your favorite elements of that romance?

The support. I think what I really love is in the third act when there’s huge loss, and Smoke is in a very vulnerable position and heartbroken. I love how we work together. But there was this thing that kept happening wherever Michael was, I was right behind him. He would look for me sometimes, and I would look for him sometimes, especially in those emotional scenes. I don’t know; we didn’t talk about it, but we were always just kind of like there. But never when he was Stack, absolutely never. The pull was never even there when he was Stack.

What was your first reaction when you saw the vampire-ness of it all, how they looked, how they were introduced in the film?

The first time I met the vampires at the door was the first time Annie meets them. They were just brilliant. It was actually quite a funny scene for us to play. There’s something about Jack, the way he, I don’t know, he didn’t have his fangs in, but it felt like he had his fangs in, especially the way he’s like [impersonates O’Connell]. There was something about it that was just creepy, but it was brilliant. I loved our scenes together. Us in the doorway, I think is probably … the space I remember the most is the doorway and me, Delroy, Michael, Hailee, Jayme, and Miles, and the vampires at the door.

What would you say would be three words to describe this film, and why should people go and see it?

Heartful. I’m trying to say one word. Thrilling, thoughtful. I would say people should see it because I think Ryan Coogler is a genius. I think a true artist. I think he’s a keeper of the culture. I think he honors his gift and his place in the world, and what he’s preserving and connecting our cultures, our people, the things that matter, he is so necessary. His mind, his art, it brings people together. It brings continents together. It brings the future. It brings the past together. It brings our hopes and our fears. I just think because Ryan Coogler is Ryan Coogler, everything he does should be listened to.