Sinnersis a huge box office success for Warner Bros., with critics and audiences alike already calling it a classic. Written and directed by Ryan Coogler (Black Panther), the horror film is set against the backdrop of the Mississippi Delta in 1932.Black Panther’s Michael B. Jordan stars as Smoke and Stack, twin brothers who return to the south with stolen gangster money to open up a juke joint for the local Black community. Before the supernatural elements of the story really kick in, the brothers enlist local friends and family to help set up the joint. This includes Smoke’s estranged wife and Hoodoo practitioner, Annie, played by the phenomenal Wunmi Mosaku.
While the movie’s advertising relies heavily on the horror element, as well as the star power of Coogler, Jordan, andDickinsonstar Hailee Steinfeld, Mosaku stuns onscreen as the knowledgeable, resourceful, and self-assured Annie. Born in Nigeria and raised in England, Mosaku’s acting career spans almost two decades, the actor having made her stage debut in 2007. Since then, she has won a BAFTA award, a Rome Fiction Festival award, and a British Independent Film award. She has starred in films likeHis HouseandDeadpool & Wolverine, as well as a wide array of celebrated television shows.
‘Dancing on the Edge’ (2013)
Dancing on the Edge
Dancing on the Edgeisn’t Mosaku’s first television role, but likeSinners,it is steeped injazz music. Released as a six-part miniseries on BBC Two, the show follows a Black jazz band’s rise to fame in London during the 1930s. Chiwetel Ejiofor (The Life of Chuck) stars as the band leader, with a cast that includes Matthew Goode (The Crown), Angel Coulby (Merlin), and Joanna Vanderham (Warrior). The show was nominated for an Emmy Award as well as three Golden Globes, winning one.
Mosaku plays a shy singer named Carla, initially taking a backseat to the band’s star singer, Jessie Taylor (Coulby). Carla and Jessie have been best friends all their lives, but when Jessie is unable to perform, Carla sings in her place and begins to experience real fame for the first time. Mosaku gives a wonderful performance as Carla and the role is one of the first to dress the actor in some gorgeous period piece costumes.
‘In the Flesh’ (2014)
In the Flesh
Airing for two seasons on BBC Three,In the Fleshis a supernaturaldrama set after the zombie apocalypse. Luke Newberry (Anna Karenina) stars as Kieren, a zombie who has been rehabilitated and is returning to his parents' home with the hope of reintegrating alongside the living population. In 2014, the series was nominated for two BAFTA Awards and won one of them.
Mosaku appears in six episodes as Maxine Martin, the village’s MP (Member of Parliament). Maxine comes out of the gate condemning the reintegration plan, but her role as the villain isn’t quite as straightforward as it seems. Maxine has secrets of her own, ones that threaten to destroy the political career she has built for herself.
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The director shared that his heart is bursting with “eternal gratitude” following the support of his latest film.
‘Fearless’ (2017)
Created byLaw & Order: SVUproducer, Patrick Harbinson,Fearlessis a six-part ITV crime thriller starring thelate Helen McCrory. The show follows human rights lawyer Emma Banville (McCrory) as she tries to prove the innocence of a man convicted of murder 14 years earlier.
Appearing in all six episodes, Mosaku plays DCS Olivia Greenwood, who was the original investigating officer on the case 14 years ago. Since then, Greenwood has taken a prominent job in counterterrorism. But was the confession she recorded all those years ago coerced? She thinks the man who confessed committed the crime, but Banville is not so sure. “It was great to play someone who is at the top of her game and brilliant at what she does,” Mosaku told The i Paper, “Her personal life doesn’t come into it. She is completely and utterly focused on justice. And it’s quite cool seeing a woman like that.”
‘The End of the F***ing World’ (2017-2019)
The End of the F***ing World
Based on the comic of the same name by Charles Forsman,The End of the F***ing Worldis a comedy-drama that aired for two seasons on Channel 4. Alex Lawther stars as James, a young man who thinks he might be a psychopath. He wants to kill someone, and when fellow teen Alyssa (Jessica Barden) suggests they run away together, James believes this is the chance he needs to act out his impulses. It’s a greatNetflix show about teenagersthat was nominated for two Emmy Awards and three BAFTA Awards, of which it won two.
Mosaku plays another police officer as DC Teri Darego and appears in five out of the show’s 16 episodes. Darego is a no-nonsense detective assigned to James and Alyssa’s missing persons case.Collider’sLiam Gaughan says that Mosaku gives “a standout supporting performance” in the series, balancing a fantastic dramatic performance with excellent comedic timing.
‘Sinners’ Breaks Box-Office Records as Highest-Grossing Original Movie Since 2019
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‘Luther’ (2019)
Luther is the wildly popular crime thriller starring Idris Elba in the award-winning role of DCI Detective John Luther. The show, considered one of thebest British television showsin recent memory, premiered on BBC One in 2010. It ran for five seasons, each of which featured two to six episodes. In 2023, BBC Film and Netflix released a film sequel entitledLuther: The Fallen Sun, which featured some of the original cast.
Mosaku arrived on the scene duringLuther’s fifth season as Detective Sergeant Catherine Halliday. The role was a point of pride for Mosaku, who had auditioned for the show’s first season nine years earlier. “I remember reading the script and absolutely loving it, and really wanting the role, but I didn’t get it,”Mosaku said in IndieWire. “And when I watched the season, really wanted to be a part of it.” Mosaku felt “similar in personality” to Halliday, and the role brought her into the international spotlight.
‘Lovecraft Country’ (2020)
Lovecraft Country
Lovecraft Countryonly aired for one season on HBO, but thecosmic horrorseries left an undeniable mark on the genre. Based on the novel by Matt Ruff,Lovecraft Countrywas developed for the screen byUndergroundcreator Misha Green. Set in 1950s America with fantasy elements, the series shines a light on the Black experience during the height of “sundown town” violence. It was nominated for one BAFTA and five Critics' Choice Awards, winning one for Best Supporting Actor, Michael Kenneth Williams (Boardwalk Empire).
InLovecraft Country, Mosaku gives a sensational performance as Ruby Baptiste, older half-sister to photographer Letitia “Leti” Lewis (Jurnee Smollett). Ruby is a talented blues singer trying to make a life for herself amidst systematic racism and sexism. “The conversations we had to have about Ruby, about the rage and the disappointments, it brought up a lot of stuff for me,”Mosaku told Elle. “I had to dig deep and explore a lot of things that I really stuffed down.”
‘Loki’ (2021-2023)
Loki (Tom Hiddleston) was a fan-favorite character inThor, and it surprised no one when the character got his own spin-offseriesLokion Disney+in 2021. The comic book drama aired for two seasons and earned nine Emmy nominations. The cast included Sophia Di Martino (Casualty), Owen Wilson (The Royal Tenenbaums), Gugu Mbatha-Raw (The Morning Show), and Eugene Cordero (Kong: Skull Island).
As Hunter B-15, Mosaku plays a Time Variance Authority hunter who wants to keep Loki from disrupting the timeline. Mosaku stars in both seasons and reprises this role in the 2024 filmDeadpool & Wolverine. It turns out, Mosaku and Hiddleston have known each other for years. They both attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Mosaku relished her role in the series. “I absolutely love it,“the actor told The Hollywood Reporterabout playing opposite Hiddleston.“I get to play mean; I get to argue and fight with my friend. It’s fun playing someone like that because it’s so different from how you’re allowed to be in real life.”
‘We Own This City’ (2022)
We Own This City
We Own This Cityis an HBO crime drama based on Justin Fenton’s nonfiction book aboutBaltimore’s Gun Trace Task Force scandal, which resulted in the conviction of eight police officers on corruption charges. The show stars Jon Bernthal (The Punisher) as Sergeant Wayne Jenkins, one of the officers who went on trial. The miniseries featured six episodes and was nominated for two Satellite Awards.
Mosaku takes on the role of an attorney assigned to the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice named Nicole Steele. Unlike other characters in the story, Steele is not based on a real person. Production was difficult for the cast and crew, but Mosaku believed it was an important story to tell. “I felt like it was an urgent topic,“she told Newsweek. “I felt like it was something that is being spoken about here in America, police brutality and defund the police, and then in Nigeria and then also in the UK.”
‘Scavengers Reign’ (2023)
Scavengers Reign
Max’sScangers Reinis a 12-part animated adventure series for adults, based on the short filmScavengers. It’s about the survivors of an interstellar cargo ship who are trapped on a dangerous alien planet, Vesta. Voice actors include Sunita Mani (Evil Eye), Alia Shawkat (Blink Twice), and Bob Stephenson (Lady Bird). It was nominated for two Emmy Awards, winning one.
Mosaku voices the character of Azi, a cargo expert who is stranded on the planet with a robot named Levi (Shawkat). Azi hasn’t given up on being rescued, sending out radio messages with the hope that someone will hear. She’s determined to get off Vesta, no matter what she has to do.
‘Passenger’ (2024)
Passengeris a six-episode darkcomedy thrillerthat aired on ITV in 2024. Mosaku stars as Riya Ajunwa, a former Met officer who moves to Chadder Vale to take care of her mother-in-law just as the town begins experiencing strange crimes. David Threlfall (Hot Fuzz), Daniel Ryan (Linda Green), Rowan Robinson (A Haunting in Venice), and Barry Sloane (The Company You Keep) co-star. The series was nominated for two BAFTA Whale awards and won for Photography and Lighting.
Critics agree that it was about time Mosaku landed a starring vehicle. While the series as a whole has received mixed reviews, it gives Mosaku an opportunity to step front and center. The actor loved the project and took her role as the lead seriously. “Being number one on the call sheet was a huge thing for me…” she toldCollider’s Ladies Night, “Being involved and seeing drafts, being a part of the audition process…it felt like a necessary step in my career.”
