Ryan Coogler has revealed that one of the most exhausting moments while making Sinners had nothing to do with its vampires or its 1930s setting but rather a deceptively simple driving sequence involving Michael B Jordan.
Fresh off the film’s strong awards-season run, the filmmaker reflected on what he described as his most mentally taxing day on set. Speaking on Entertainment Weekly’s Awardist podcast, Coogler recalled struggling to coordinate a scene featuring Jordan and his body double, Percy Bell, who play twin brothers Smoke and Stack.
According to Coogler, the challenge lay in precision. What appears effortless on screen required multiple carefully timed elements to line up perfectly. Jordan had to drive the car at an exact speed, stop at the right moment, exit the vehicle on cue, and interact with the surrounding bushes. all while matching the movements required to distinguish the twins.
“There are scenes you watch later, and you’d never guess how hard they were,” Coogler said, adding that the driving sequence was the one where he nearly lost his composure. He explained that the shot demanded repeated passes of the car and flawless synchronisation, as even minor timing errors would ruin the illusion.
He also pointed out that Smoke and Stack are intentionally portrayed with subtle physical differences, from how they walk to how they drive and step out of a car, which only added to the complexity. Those distinctions, Coogler noted, had to remain consistent even as the technical choreography became more demanding.
Despite the chaos behind the scenes, the director believes the effort paid off. He said the moment works well in the finished film, which has earned seven Golden Globe nominations, including Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Motion Picture—Drama.
Set in 1932, Sinners follows twin brothers who return to their Mississippi Delta hometown to open a juke joint, only to find themselves facing a sinister threat when musical vampires descend on the town.
