Ryan Coogler said he became emotional seeing iconic filmmaker Spike Lee watch his hit film “Sinners.”
“I cried, bro,” Coogler told “7PM in Brooklyn” hosts Carmelo Anthony and Kazeem Famuyide during a recent appearance. I had to hide my– he was jumping around like– I was wiping tears out of my eyes, bro.
Coogler’s response came after Famuyide asked him how he felt about Lee saying that “Sinners” was the best experience he’s had watching a film in years. For Coogler, who praised Lee for his years-worth of stunning and culturally-impactful cinema, he said this was just a moment for him to give the same gift he received from Lee as a kid growing up.
“For me to give Spike a cinematic experience. I’m just paying him back with interest, bro,” Coogler said of Lee, who is best known for films “Malcolm X,” “Do the Right Thing,” “Mo’ Better Blues,” and is now queuing up his latest cinematic work, “Highest 2 Lowest.”
“It meant the world to me to hear him say that,” Coogler shared. “I’m sh–g in the IMAX theater showing Spike Lee the movie. He likes it?”
View this post on Instagram
Back in March, Lee took to Instagram to share his love of the film.
“I just had the greatest experience of watching a film in years. My brother Ryan Coogler invlited me to experience his new film ‘Sinners’ (in IMAX),” he wrote in the post, which was coupled with a photo of himself and Coogler in front of a “Sinners” step-and-repeat. “His magnificent artisry as a storyteller is on another level … Brother Michael B. Jordan did his ‘thang, thang. Da performances, cinematography, production design, costume design, original score, songs, visual effects are dope. And what else ya want? Last thing I told my brother Ryan, ‘he really, 100, tapped into our ancestors on this joint. And dats da Black cinematic power, truth, Ruth. Ya dig.”
“Sinners,” Coogler’s fifth feature film, premiered on April 18 and has grossed $351.6 million worldwide. The film had the highest domestic opening weekend for an original film of the decade, surpassing Jordan Peele’s “Nope.”
The post Ryan Coogler Says He Got Emotional When Spike Lee Watched ‘Sinners’: ‘I Cried, Bro’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.