Ludwig and Serena Göransson on Delroy Lindo and Bobby Rush.
"In the scene where Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo) is playing harmonica, we had a blues legend, Bobby Rush [come in]. Serena called him the night before; he’s 94 years old and was touring in Seattle. She was like, “Come to the set, we’re shooting the scene tomorrow,” so he gets on a plane from Seattle to Chicago to New Orleans and gets there in time. Delroy shoots the scene, and he’s holding the harmonica. We have the extras standing in a circle, and Bobby Rush, the 94-year-old blues musician, is sitting on a chair. You can barely see his hair in the footage, but he’s playing the harmonica. Sammie is playing the guitar, and Delroy is watching Bobby play."-Ludwig Göransson.
"Delroy and Bobby shared some intimate stories. They have twin souls. Somehow, they were connected in an hour. In that scene, they’re looking at each other playing: Delroy is feeling out what Bobby is doing, Bobby’s looking at what Delroy is doing, and they created this thing together."-Serena Göransson.
The Synchronicities Behind Sinners: "Too Frequent To Be Random" (Part 1)
Part 2 is here
I watched Chadwick Boseman’s Walk of Fame induction and something his wife said stayed with me. She mentioned the repeated message Chadwick sent her
“There is only so much I can do from here”
and the small signs she still receives from him, including how Chadwick was the 2828th person honored on the Walk of Fame (he passed on the 28th and the number 28 has significant meaning in numerology) .
Then she said:
“These synchronicities that are far too frequent to be called random remind me that he’s still teaching.”
That line really helped me put into perspective all the synchronicities the Sinners team kept mentioning in their interviews.
The more I learn about this film, the more I realize it wasn’t just made it was guided.
I also included a short list of the divine moments that stood out to me the most.
We are echoes of those who came before us
Ryan asked his grandmother what her first date with his grandfather was like. She said they went to the movies and he kept trying to kiss her, and she told him they could do that after because she wanted to watch the film. Ryan noticed his own first date with his wife played out the same way. It helped him realize
“We are echoes of the people who came before us.” and that
"everything that I am they had already been"
Echoes Through the Blues
Ryan saw echo's in Ludwig’s story too. Ludwig’s father fell in love with John Lee Hooker as a child in Sweden, became a blues guitar player, passed the love of guitar and Blues to Ludwig, and Ludwigs love and respect for the Blues shaped the music of Sinners.
"What these people made changed the world and they probably had no idea, they were just trying to affirm their humanity"
Rapheal Saddiq "I lied to you"
Raphael Saadiq said he and Ryan Coogler connected through "a spiritual ancestor type of vibe." Saadiq's late brother D'Wayne and Ryan's father grew up together. Whenever D'Wayne had to leave in the middle of a basketball game to rehearse with his band, Ryan's father would joke, "Man, forget that band, that's silly," not knowing that the band D'Wayne formed with his younger brother Raphael would eventually become Tony! Toni! Tone!
Ludwig had also wanted to collaborate with Saadiq for years, and when the timing finally aligned for Sinners, he called it meant to be.
Saadiq explained that the key lyric "They say the truth hurts so I lie to you" came to him when he was nineteen or twenty. He held on to it for decades, knowing it was a Blues, and felt the only time it truly belonged was in "I lied to you".
Serena Göransson and Bobby Rush chance encounters
Serena met blues legend Bobby Rush completely by chance at an event in LA, she attended with Ludwig and his father Tomas. Tomas recognized him instantly and was starstruck. A few months after that, when she was in London with one free night, she looked up concerts and Bobby Rush happened to be performing. She told him she might reach out about a project soon.
They found out they were filming the railroad scene the day before it was shot . Bobby happened to be flying back east that day and was willing to cancel his other plans so he support. He and Delroy Lindo connected immediately, and Bobby played the harmonica live while Delroy mimed it. The whole thing was improvised, but they synced perfectly on camera. It was one of those moments where everything lined up.
And in the wise words of Bobby rush
Overall listen to your gut and do what you feel guided to do, and remember when it comes to this movie don't worry the ancestors got this.
This is only 5 but I have about 20 that I plan to post. They'll include moments from Wunmi Mosaku, Jack O'connell, Hailee Steinfeld, Autumn Durald Arkapaw, and more.
