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Tag: Wunmi Mosaku

  • ‘Sinners’ Star Wunmi Mosaku Says It Feels “Dystopian” to Celebrate Oscar Nomination After Recent ICE Killings

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    Wunmi Mosaku says it feels “truly dystopian” to celebrate her best supporting actress Oscar nomination after people were killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

    The Sinners actress, who became a first-time nominee last month for her role as Annie in the Ryan Coogler-directed film, recently spoke during an interview with the Times of London about the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti at the hands of ICE agents last month.

    “I’ve not been able to celebrate because of what’s going on right now, with the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by ICE agents in Minnesota and the kidnapping of a five-year-old boy,” Mosaku said. “It’s difficult to hold both the nomination and the news because one feels beautiful and one is so dark and heavy; truly dystopian — how can I possibly go out and buy some drinks and enjoy the moment?”

    She added that her husband “is not as shocked as I am at the news. There’s a very strange American psyche where terrible things happen and people still can go to work the next day, whereas I’m floored for a week and think, ‘How are people going to crowded places when this has just happened?’ I want a cocoon. My reaction reminds him that this is not normal.”

    Mosaku joins other celebrities who have spoken out against ICE and the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration policies, including Billie Eilish and Bad Bunny, who called out ICE during the 2026 Grammys. Bruce Springsteen also released an anti-ICE song about the “state terror” in Minneapolis following the deaths of Good and Pretti. More recently, at the Spirit Awards on Sunday, Natasha Rothwell, Tessa Thompson and Kumail Nanjiani also protested the federal immigration agency.

    After learning of her Oscar nomination last month, Mosaku told The Hollywood Reporter at the time that her nod felt even more special because of the impact her Sinners character had on Black women.

    “Just knowing how a lot of Black women felt when seeing me represent her, just feeling lovable and soft and strong and powerful and loving and all of our humanity and our mystique and power and spirituality and our ancestors and our connection and our purpose — seeing the response, hearing the response from other Black women felt really healing. So just knowing that this character is being celebrated in award season feels really good. I don’t take it lightly,” Mosaku said.

    “I always say more than anything, I’m so grateful for the people who poured into Ryan to give him this gift and see us in all of our humanity and our gentleness and how much he loves Black women because he wrote that role and he cast me,” she continued. “He hasn’t been tainted by capitalism and the ideas of what femininity is and what beauty is.”

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    Carly Thomas

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  • Michael B. Jordan on ‘Sinners’ Breaking Records With 16 Oscar Noms: “Hard to Put Into Words”

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    Michael B. Jordan admits he’s struggling to find the words right now. The 38-year-old is already considered a veteran of this industry, having broken out on beloved ’00s TV shows like The Wire and Friday Night Lights and gone on to topline franchise blockbusters like Creed. So today marks a true milestone, earning his first career Oscar nomination for his deft, layered dual performance in Sinners.

    “I’ve been in this industry for a long time. I’ve admired and seen the Academy and the other actors in the movies and filmmakers that I’ve looked up to and been inspired by my whole life,” Jordan tells The Hollywood Reporter. “To be in those conversations and in that company is a solidifying feeling.”

    But that’s only where the celebration can start today. Jordan’s is one of 16 nominations for Sinners — the most any movie has received in Oscars history. The filmmaker Ryan Coogler, with whom Jordan has been regularly collaborating for over a decade, is personally nominated for his directing, writing and producing (for best picture). It’s a staggering showing, which Jordan tells The Hollywood Reporter is a true affirmation. Over the phone at various points, he laughs in disbelief, cheers loudly and stops himself a few times, as the emotion catches up to him. 

    Sinners

    Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures

    How has the morning been?

    I did not get up at 5:30. Man, I slept. I’m in the edit right now [on The Thomas Crown Affair], so I kind of wanted to just kind of wake up to whatever I was going to wake up to — and that was a lot of love and affection. To be acknowledged in this way, it is truly an honor. It is crazy.

    How do you hear the fact that this is the most nominated movie of all time?

    Honestly still digesting it all. It’s really a testament to the film as a whole and all the pieces involved and the people that went to go see this movie and watched this film. It meant something to them and they felt something — to see how it resonated throughout the year with people, man. For all of these pieces to be singled out and acknowledged and honored with the nomination. it’s something that’s really hard to put into words right now.

    Who was your first phone call? Ryan?

    My mom was my first call. It was great. A lot of tears and the reason why I’m even in this industry and why I’m acting at all — why that was even an idea. To talk to the woman who started it all first meant the world. 

    I’m sure Ryan is doing his phone calls right now, so we missed each other. (Laughs.) We called each other back and forth, so I’m going to connect with him pretty soon too.

    This is your first personal nomination, and that’s true for your costars as well: Wunmi Mosaku and Delroy Lindo. 

    (Cheering) Woo! Yeah, so happy for Delroy, man. So happy for Wunmi. I’m so incredibly happy for Coog and everybody else, but Delroy, Wunmi — I couldn’t be happier for them.

    This is a year where you’re in great company — I wonder how you look at the slate of nominees and, particularly at this moment for the industry, what strikes you about the group?

    It’s actually a really, really great year as far as people bouncing back to theaters post-pandemic. I think these numbers and the turnout for these movies has been telling that the artists, when given the opportunity and the chance and the space and the support, can deliver on cinematic experiences that bring people back to the cinema. Just to be a part of that movement to help add to that contribution feels great.

    How do you take stock of Sinners’ trajectory, getting to this point?

    Listen, Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy and Warner Brothers and [David] Zaslav supported Coog’s vision and took a swing with us in a big way. Having that pay off? The journey of it has been a fierce and swift one. You focus on building that house and people will come.

    Any celebration plans today?

    Ah man, I’m going right to the edit. (Laughs.) I’m on my way right now. I’m getting ready. I’ll take some time tonight to just really reflect. I mean, I don’t even know. There will be signs though. There will be signs of celebration.

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    David Canfield

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  • How the ‘Sinners’ Costume Designer Helped Wunmi Mosaku Shape the Movie’s Secret MVP

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    As Sinners sets a course to bring genre into awards season, actress Wunmi Mosaku and Oscar-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter, a frequent Ryan Coogler collaborator, discussed amplifying the filmmaker’s vision through aesthetic and decorative choices.

    Mosaku’s character, Annie, plays a pivotal role in the fight to vanquish the vampire invasion of her town; she’s determined to protect those she loves, especially her estranged partner Smoke (Michael B. Jordan). Using her Hoodoo practice and deep ancestral magic, Annie is the film’s MVP, supporting the brawn and violence of twin brothers Smoke and Stack’s defense against undead supernatural supremacy in the South.

    Carter shared with Deadline how Annie’s strength, as described in Coogler’s screenplay, was a key inspiration in crafting looks for the character. “The whole vision in mind is starting with the script … Someone like Annie, who is a root worker—she is a person who is a community hub. People during that time needed someone like her in the community because she was the healer, and they didn’t go to the doctor.”

    Carter’s work deeply influenced Mosaku’s take on the character; seeing the designer at work was like “watching an alchemist,” Mosaku said. “Every time I stepped into [Carter’s] studio, Annie became more and more real to me, and she became more and more tangible.”

    Annie’s role in her community was always at the forefront, Carter emphasized. “You have to know what lives on the clothes; there’s all this representation in the clothing, and for someone like Annie, we connect to what she needs to survive and how it lives in the clothing.”

    She added, “We looked at these root workers in cinema… and how it’s represented. We’ve seen that; we’ve done that.”

    Making Annie her own version of what could have been a familiar character type was important. “We were talking about a headtie at one point, almost like presenting this Hoodoo queen,” Mosaku added. “But then when we took the head wrap off, it was like, ‘Oh, this is who she is.’”

    “It was very important to not make her this saint but to make her a spiritual force, a feminine woman, a mothering soul, but also independent,” Carter said. “Let’s make her a real woman and make it about empowering the women in our lives, the strong women who nurture the community, and not such a mystical character that is so far away from us being able to relate to her.”

    Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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    Sabina Graves

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  • An Iconic ‘Loki’ Character May Be Returning in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’

    An Iconic ‘Loki’ Character May Be Returning in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’

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    With a bunch of Loki connections already revealed in the trailers, Deadpool & Wolverine is going to be a treat for fans of the hit Disney+ series. Now, one character is reportedly appearing in Deadpool’s latest raunchy adventure.

    Deadpool & Wolverine, due out in theaters on July 26, sees Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) and Logan (Hugh Jackman) teaming up to stop Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin) from wreaking havoc in the multiverse. The two team up after being recruited by Agent Paradox (Matthew Macfayden) of the Time Variance Authority, which oversees the flow of time.

    The film’s first connection to Loki is obvious: the TVA. First introduced in Loki season 1, the TVA is a vast bureaucracy that exists outside of time. In season 1, the TVA is dedicated to deleting errant timelines that branch off of the Sacred Timeline. When Loki inadvertently starts a new branch by stealing the Tesseract, he’s arrested by the TVA and then recruited to help stop a dangerous variant of himself. In season 2, the TVA pivots to protecting the infinite branches of the multiverse from variants of He Who Remains, a.k.a. Kang the Conqueror.

    Another possible connection to Loki is only rumor at this point, but it would be a fun addition: President Loki, a Loki variant loosely based on the comic book series Vote Loki, is rumored to play a role in the film.

    One TVA agent, Hunter B-15 (Wunmi Mosaku), is pivotal to both seasons of Loki. In season 1, she captures Loki and brings him into custody. In season 2, she helps Loki and Mobius (Owen Wilson) bring stability to the multiverse and fend off Kang variants. In fact, at the end of the series, it’s hinted that she rises to a leadership role in the TVA.

    Now, Mosaku may be returning to the role of B-15 in Deadpool & Wolverine.

    Sources say Hunter B-15 will be in Deadpool & Wolverine

    (Disney)

    Yesterday, The Cosmic Circus reported that according their sources, Hunter B-15 will “have a brief role” in the film. The outlet didn’t provide much more detail than that, but if Marvel stays true to form, the role could possibly be a short cameo on par with Valkyrie’s appearance in The Marvels. That’s just speculation on my part, though. Plus, the report doesn’t necessarily mean the cameo will happen. The source could be wrong, or the film could go through last-minute edits.

    Still, B-15 would be a welcome addition to the cast, especially since her character is so important to the new and improved TVA. If Deadpool & Wolverine takes place after Loki season 2, then it would make sense to show her helping to lead the TVA’s new mission.

    (featured image: Disney+)

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    Julia Glassman

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  • Ryan Coogler’s New Horror Film Is a Veritable Marvel Reunion

    Ryan Coogler’s New Horror Film Is a Veritable Marvel Reunion

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    After the cinematic achievement that is Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, director Ryan Coogler is heading into production on his next film—and it includes a superhero-studded cast.

    Not much is known about Coogler’s next project. We know it’s a supernatural thriller recently acquired by Warner Bros., and according to The Hollywood Reporter, the film may take place in the Jim Crow-era South and involve vampires and southern folklore. Although the film begins production this month, not even the title has been released.

    But the cast is gradually coming together. Coogler is reuniting with longtime collaborator Michael B. Jordan, best known for his role as Adonis Creed in the Creed series. According to THR, Jordan may be playing identical twins in Coogler’s new film. Jordan also plays Erik “Killmonger” Stevens in Marvel’s Black Panther. In Black Panther, Killmonger is King T’Challa’s long-lost cousin, who returns to Wakanda to take over the throne. Killmonger also makes an appearance in the sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

    Wunmi Mosaku also recently joined the cast of Coogler’s new film. Mosaku is mainly known for playing Ruby Baptiste in Lovecraft Country, but she also plays Hunter B-15 in Loki seasons 1 and 2. In season 1, Hunter B-15 is a hardened foot soldier for the Time Variance Authority, arresting variants and pruning errant timelines. In season 2, B-15 softens a bit, trying to save the timelines she previously worked to destroy.

    Finally, Hailee Steinfeld is the most recent addition to the cast. Steinfeld voices Gwen Stacy, a.k.a. Spider–Woman, in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and its sequel, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Steinfeld also plays the young archer Kate Bishop in the Disney+ series Hawkeye, with a guest appearance in The Marvels.

    Delroy Lindo (Unprisoned, The Harder They Fall) and Jack O’Connell (Back to Black) have also joined the cast.

    (featured image: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

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    Julia Glassman

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  • Passenger review: New series is more like Twin Peaks than your average ITV1 drama

    Passenger review: New series is more like Twin Peaks than your average ITV1 drama

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    Passenger on ITV1 isn’t your average TV drama, and there was a LOT to unravel in episode 1 – here’s our review.

    A missing girl, a scary presence in the woods, and a ‘monster’ on the loose. They were just some of the mysteries packed into the new series. And after episode 1, we were left desperate for answers.

    As the series kicked off, DI Riya Ajunwa (Wunmi Mosaku) was fed up with the usual petty crimes she had to investigate in Chadder Vale. Namely, missing ladders and bins, and a “cat with a cough”.

    But when a deer was found torn to shreds beside an abandoned car, her job suddenly looked more complex. As well as a very sinister presence in the woods, there was a “monster’ released from jail, a mysterious lorry delivery, and a God-like character being tormented by eco protestors at the fracking site he protects.

    So here are the questions we’ve got after watching the eerie episode 1 of Passenger on ITV.

    ***Warning: spoilers from Passenger episode 1 ahead***

    Passenger is billed as a ‘darkly, comic horror’ (Credit: Sister Pictures/ITV)

    Passenger episode 1 review: What is lurking in the woods?

    Better and Broadchurch actor Andrew Buchan wrote Passenger, and he said: “I’ve always loved shows where the known collides with the unknown – where you see communities faced with something horrifying and inexplicable, where, as a viewer, you’ve nothing in your kit-bag to explain it.”

    And he’s created something that does exactly that. At the beginning of the episode, we saw Nico Mirallegro‘s character Kane Jackson making a mysterious delivery. He looked afraid to be near the contents, and even tried to talk through the walls to whatever was inside. First thoughts of illegal migrants soon evaporated when he opened the truck to reveal… Well, we haven’t a Scooby Doo.

    The only glimpse we got of its contents was at the end of the episode when we saw a mysterious black liquid at the bottom of a cage – the same black liquid found at the scene of the massacred deer in the woods.

    We know that something dropped the deer from the sky… But, as Riya herself asked: “What’s bigger than a massive deer?”

    Whatever it is it makes some seriously weird noises. And Daniel Ryan‘s character Derek Jackson seems to know what it is. Is it some kind of alien or creature? Time will tell!

    What happened to Katie in the forest?

    Twenty-one-year-old Katie Wells was the unfortunate person who was driving said car when the deer landed on the windscreen. But why did she just leave the car in the woods, along with her phone?

    At first, we thought she’d been abducted or eaten by whatever destroyed the deer. But she later turned up unharmed – but where had she been all that time?

    Unluckily for her, she returned just in time for a reunion with her criminal dad.

    Barry Sloane as Eddie Wells in Passenger
    Barry Sloane as ex-convict Eddie Wells in Passenger (Credit: Sister Pictures/ITV)

    Passenger episode 1 review: What is Eddie Wells guilty of?

    Riya arrested Eddie Wells (Barry Sloane) for committing a violent crime five years ago. However, instead of serving 10 years, he was released from prison five years early.

    All we know is that he has a “sick mind” and has been described as a “monster”. We also know that David Threlfall’s character Jim Bracknell “lost his family” because of him.

    So what is Eddie guilty of? And is he a changed man, or out to cause more trouble? We’d guess the latter!

    What’s Riya Ajunwa’s secret past?

    Former Met Officer Rija isn’t exactly thrilled with the way her life has turned out… She used to live in Wandsworth, London, and dreamt of kids.

    Then, her partner Nick persuaded her to leave London for Chadder Vale, to be closer to his mum. Nick is now nowhere to be seen, and Riya seems to be the mum’s carer.

    So we can forgive her for feeling pretty peeved. But there’s something else… When she heard the weird noise in the woods, she appeared to have flashbacks of being a scared girl hiding under a bed. What’s her secret?

    NICO MIRALLEGRO as Ken Jackson in Passenger
    Former Hollyoaks actor Nico Mirallegro as Ken Jackson in Passenger (Credit: Sister Pictures/ITV)

    Passenger episode 1 review: What happened to the missing Swedish girl?

    Alongside all this is the historic case of a missing Swedish girl. We’ve seen the posters around the town, and witnessed Rija’s frustration that she wasn’t able to investigate it.

    We have to assume the missing girl is linked to the sinister presence in the woods. Did the ‘creature’ use the poor girl for a toothpick, the same way it treated the deer?

    Passenger is eerie, compelling, and different to anything else we’ve seen for a while. Think Twin Peaks, but in the North of England! We’re hooked!

    Read more: Andrew Buchan ‘splits with Amy Nuttall for Better co-star Leila Farzad’

    YouTube video player

    Passenger continues on Monday, March 25, 2024 at 9pm on ITV1. The full series is on ITVX now.

    Do you agree with our review of Passenger episode 1? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix.

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    Helen Fear

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