Jack O’Connell and Delroy Lindo sit down to talk all things Sinners, the highly anticipated supernatural horror from director Ryan Coogler. They share what it was like filming the genre-bending project, what they learned from working with Coogler — and Jack reveals an unexpected history with Irish dancing.The pair also reflect on their careers and spotlight the most underrated films in their back catalogue, sharing why those hidden gems didn’t get the recognition they deserved at the time.
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00:00I'm assuming that isn't always the case.
00:02It is not.
00:03It wasn't in my...
00:06It's really fun to actually speak to you after watching this film
00:09when I think I might be a bit obsessed with it.
00:11Because it's like, it's astonishing.
00:14The simmering tension, it was all build-up and characterisation.
00:16You don't really get that in the films of this size these days.
00:19Did it feel like you were making a big film,
00:22or did the sensibilities of what was happening on set feel a bit smaller?
00:26This is a very human story,
00:29dealing with human issues, albeit complex.
00:34It didn't feel gargantuan from that standpoint.
00:38It felt profound, but not gargantuan.
00:41That definitely, as a viewer, that's how it hit me.
00:44I was like, wow, this is like a huge film,
00:46but it's hitting me on a level other than other blockbusters manage to do.
00:51That's a really good thing.
00:52Yeah.
00:53And I don't know about you, Jack, probably the same.
00:56I appreciate that.
00:58You got us a problem, yo.
01:00What the hell going on?
01:01Oh, we heard tale of a party.
01:03Jack, your character is fascinating.
01:05Remick, he's an enigma as well.
01:08Like, when it ends, I'm just wanting to know more about him.
01:11Were you given a backstory?
01:13Like 600 years' worth.
01:15I think the text alludes to his origins being from a time that you could probably pinpoint down to that long ago.
01:27What I love about working with Ryan is any question that you might have regarding this enormous, in this case, enormous backstory, he'll find that answer with you.
01:39If he doesn't have it already, he's not going anywhere until he's answered your question.
01:46It also speaks to a really intense sensitivity to the actors and actors' process.
01:52Technically, this was a large endeavor, but he always has time for the actors.
01:57He always has time for the actors.
01:59And for me, that suggests a love for the actors and a love of an appreciation for the actors and the acting process.
02:09And I'm assuming that isn't always the case.
02:11It is not.
02:12Well, in my experience...
02:15Let's talk about that.
02:17But wait a minute.
02:18But I have to say, I've not had...
02:20I've had some not great experiences, but broadly speaking, it's...
02:26I've been fortunate.
02:28You know, I can be talking to a director, or I can...
02:31Working with a director, and I can understand...
02:33They don't understand the actors' process.
02:36But I...
02:38Rarely have I had situations where it's...
02:41Resulted in just not a good working experience.
02:43And what is it we're supposed to be doing?
02:47Being kind to one another!
02:49Jack, let's just quickly talk about Irish dancing, because...
02:52That came out of nowhere.
02:53Sure.
02:54But, um...
02:55It did for me, but obviously...
02:57Is that something you could do already, or did you...?
02:59Tell the story, man.
03:00No, it's really interesting.
03:01Yeah, yeah, well...
03:03Is this one being kind?
03:04Imagine my surprise.
03:06So, reading this script...
03:08About 50, 60 pages in, I'm reading...
03:11My character goes into full-blown...
03:14Rocky Road to Dublin.
03:16You know, which is like an anthem...
03:19Within Irish culture.
03:21Age old.
03:23So imagine my surprise when I'm reading this.
03:26You know, a song I'd happily belt out in many a pub.
03:29Yeah.
03:30Yeah.
03:31And I'm going, okay.
03:32And then later on down the page, he breaks out into traditional Irish dancing.
03:39So I'm like, okay, that's in the locker as well.
03:43From way back, I used to go do Irish dancing classes as a whippersnapper.
03:48Oh, wow.
03:49So yeah, yeah.
03:50And then we'd compete.
03:51They'd put us against each other.
03:53They'd be like regional tournaments and stuff.
03:56And not many people know that about me.
03:59And then I...
04:00So when I found out there was a chance to do that in this, you can only imagine my surprise.
04:06But yeah, jumping jack back in the day.
04:08Wow.
04:09Rolling back the years.
04:10JJ.
04:11JJ.
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04:42back catalogue that um might not have got the love it deserved at the time jack do you want
04:46to tell us what you picked i think you'll like this one belroy because it's uh being a manchester
04:51united fan i am are you god bless me it's a story about uh bobby bobby charlton oh stop um and and
05:00the munich air disaster like i i think it's a timeless story and i think it's that makes it
05:05a timeless piece and uh really proud of it man what's it called united united who did you play
05:13you play one of the sir bobby get the sir bobby we got the cast of the whole uh busby babes era
05:19duncan edwards dennis law all those guys yeah yeah and i i check that man obviously uh like a
05:28you know harrowing uh tale in in in itself yeah uh surrounded in this backdrop of this magnificent
05:36era of football underrated yeah yeah a lot of people kind of when they write about you they
05:42write about how you played a lot of like delinquent roles in your early years and things like that but
05:46actually this is really stands out because it's a very moving performance whoa there's a line where
05:52you say where i don't you know well you know you're kind of learning who died in the crash and you say
05:56they reel off the names from the newspaper and you say all of them and the way you deliver it
06:00it's broke my heart man oh man honestly it did um was there responsibility in playing that role
06:05enormous as a young actor as well like yeah stepping into those shoes it was lofty and uh weighty
06:12um you know there was there was such a beloved figure right bobby charlton that means yeah really
06:18really beloved i won't let you down i promise delroy you picked something that i love
06:22uh good clockers i've always felt that clockers is a very underrated film i think the reason for that
06:29has to do with genre that it that it that it is set in this you know this drug drug world and i
06:36remember when when spike called me and said man what he said to me i remember he said i want to put
06:41i want to put a nail in the coffin of this kind of film and so i when he said that i knew that he was
06:49he had a certain kind of stance to this narrative that he was trying to execute and i was like
06:56thrilled to be a part of it for me the interesting thing about playing rodney was not the drugs man
07:02it had to do with how is this cat how does this cat become a father figure to these kids
07:08that's for me that was a key um but overall i i've always felt that clockers is somewhat of an
07:15underrated film why do you think at the time it didn't land at the box office so i'd be curious to
07:25hear spike's point of view about this maybe it was too uh harsh a harsher a topic and a harsh a subject
07:37matter harsh a um a world to present to audiences and at that time i mean i think that that open the
07:45opening sequence of clockers um you've got shaka khan you got shaka khan and that pianist i forget the cat's
07:55name now and the musician they were playing and you were seeing all these dead bodies
07:59and i remember in part of my research for that film i went up to uh one of the precincts in new york city
08:08and they gave me these books and i was just looking at dead bodies
08:15straight up dead bodies drug related dead bodies and the fact that spike replicated that is a stunning
08:24opening for that film but it may it may be people just didn't want to be confronted with that do you
08:32think there's um a prescience to clockers that's a really good question and it's it's very difficult
08:38for me to answer my instinctive response is yes it's patient now then it's a why why is it patient
08:45how violence how that world snuffs out so much talent and because i'm not sure how it is in this
08:59country right now but we have in america we have a huge a gargantuan um what's that drug that's that's
09:07fentanyl fentanyl thank you fentanyl we have a huge problem i mean aside from the fact the heroin is still
09:14all the other classic drugs are still there it's such a huge devastation on society and so much
09:22talent gets completely destroyed so it's i think very patient in that from that standpoint they had
09:29a sawed-up shotgun right in my mug straight it's my best friend too and delroy the five bloods one of
09:36the most egregious oscar snubs i would say for yourself um does that stuff carry weight i know like
09:43journalists love to go on about it but as an actor do you is it a thing it is a thing it is a thing
09:50one but one must get over it really quickly because uh it's about work i gotta keep working i gotta keep
10:00working it kicked me in my ass it kicked me in my natural ass uh just for a variety of reasons however
10:08i remember the morning of the snub spike and i were on the phone and he called me and and in the final
10:17final final final analysis one must keep working you can't you can't wallow in that stuff man we could
10:25talk talk talk for you know an hour but you can't wallow you gotta keep working you gotta keep working
10:30and the and the role will always be there for us to watch film is forever film is forever yeah no matter
10:36what who says what and judges and gives me this okay the work is on screen period the end