Sam Rockwell Says ‘Sinners' Success Is ‘Encouraging' for Hollywood: ‘It's a Big Swing'
Sam Rockwell is singing the praises of 'Sinners.' The 'White Lotus' actor told Variety that 'Sinners' succeeding at the box office is a beacon of hope for Hollywood.
'It was encouraging because it was rated R, you know? The sexuality felt palpable,' Rockwell said. 'And the fact that it made a bunch of money while mixing all these genres — 'From Dusk Till Dawn,' 'Sounder,' 'Devil in a Blue Dress' — I thought that was encouraging. It's a big swing. And it made a lot of money, just like 'Wonder Woman.' That was a big swing, too. Made by a woman [Patty Jenkins]. Did very well.'
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Rockwell compared 'Sinners' to Academy Award-winning films that also transcended genre. ''Birdman' is another one. On paper, you'd think, 'That movie's not going to do anything.' But it was amazing,' he said. 'Same with 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.' Everybody turned it down — Gene Hackman, James Caan. But look what happened. So yeah, I'm encouraged by certain things.'
Rockwell even compared the CGI twin trick 'Sinners' pulls with Michael B. Jordan to the work he did his 2009 film 'Moon.'
'I really dug it. And the technology with the twin thing has come a long way since I did a trick like that long ago.'
Coogler recently told Ebony Magazine that 'Sinners' was his break from directing franchise films.
'I wanted to get away from that,' he said of returning to his original indie roots. 'I was looking forward to working on a film that felt original and personal to me and had an appetite for delivering something to audiences that was original and unique.'
Coogler previously thanked fellow filmmakers Spike Lee, Quentin Tarantino, and Brian De Palma for helping to inspire his leap of faith with 'Sinners.' He also credited audiences for purchasing tickets to go to the feature in theaters.
Coogler wrote in a letter shared with IndieWire, 'I had the gift of the opportunity of making a film inspired by my family and my ancestry, but it was always a film that we wanted to make for audiences, in theaters. We always had our minds on you, the audience, and felt a deep responsibility to entertain you, and move you in the way only cinema can. We don't get to do what we do if you don't show up. To see your response to the film has reinvigorated me and many others who believe in this art form. And together maybe we can expand the definition of what a blockbuster is, what a horror movie is, and of what an IMAX audience looks like.'
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