Miles wears
shirt + trousers. Sandro
shoes. Zara
opposite
Miles wears
jacket. Avirex
Miles Caton makes his silver screen debut in Ryan Coogler’s ‘Sinners‘, piercing the veil with vocals that transcend the ages. The story of ‘Sinners’ is a rich tapestry of blues music, culture, community, magic, and horror, woven through 1930s Mississippi. When Caton enters the frame within the film’s first few minutes, you’re pulled in, questions begin to swirl, and you’re immediately enveloped. The role of Sammie Moore or ‘Preacher Boy’ was tailor-made for him, moving with the grace and ease of a practiced actor, so you’d never know that this was his first outing on the big screen. Keeping up with heavyweights such as Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Wunmi Mosaku, and the legendary Delroy Lindo, Caton shows he is more than up to the task.
The moment he opens his mouth to sing in ‘Sinners’, it’s clear what Ryan Coogler saw in him: raw talent. His voice stirs feelings, the ability to convey the most deeply seated emotions. Love, pain, joy, all full entrenched and rooted through a voice so melodic, resonant, and smooth, you feel it to down to your very bones. It takes you away. It transports you to other worlds, other times, connecting us through the power of song. But Caton brings so much more than his voice, commanding a presence that makes you feel what Sammie feels. His dreams are the audience’s, and you find yourself hoping that he makes it out of this horrific night unscathed.
Speaking with Schön! Magazine, fresh off a family film screening, Miles Caton discusses what led him to the role of Sammie Moore, making music with Ludwig Göransson, and what sets ‘Sinners’ apart.
Miles wears
blazer. Wangda
shirt + trousers. Sandro
opposite
Miles wears
jacket + trousers. Pence
shoes. Zara
In another interview, you said you had to wait months to determine whether you got the part. What were you doing in between, in that sort of state of limbo? Who was the first person you told when you found out?
The whole process was probably about two months in total. So, from the time I started, from the time I heard about the role, to the time I got the role, was about two months. I had just gotten off tour, the process started from there. I found out at the mall, and I was running, and running. I had already spoken to Ryan Coogler, and I did a chemistry read. I had gotten back home, and I waited maybe a week or two to hear what the news would be. He called me on my phone at the mall and told me I got the role. He said, “Bro, you got the role,” and I lost it. I lost it [laughs]. I went back home. I got on the train and went back home. I had my family on a group call. We were all crying. We were like, “Man, this is going to be crazy.”
So, you’ve barely stopped for breath, going from being on tour to the audition.
Everything has been from one thing to the next. I feel blessed, man.
Once you got the part, and finally got eyes on the script, because I know during the audition process, you only got a snippet to look at, what were your initial thoughts on the story? What did you think of Sammie on the page? What kind of jumped out at you about him?
What jumped out was the relatable. It was really relatable. We’re both the same age. We both have the same ambition. We’re just starting out, and jumping into something new. We know what we want, but we’re trying to see how to get there. That was something that instantly drew me to the character, and then just the scenery, you know? The horror aspect of it, I felt like that was a dope twist, and the way that Ryan was able to incorporate all of those different genres in one, and blend it with the 1930s and the music, I felt like it was going to be something really different and really special. So that immediately caught my eye.
The chemistry you all share as a cast is so palpable on and off the screen. Can you walk me through meeting everyone? What were the vibes on set?
I met a couple of people individually, but once we all flew out to New Orleans to start filming, we did a table read, and everybody was there. Even from then, the energy and the ambition from everybody, you could feel it. You knew it was going to be something special. I remember sitting there, and just being like, “Yo, I’m really here. I’m sitting next to all of these actors I grew up watching, and I’m really in this room right now.” But, you know, once we started reading, you just kind of knew. It was a great feeling.
It was your ‘pinch me’ moment, right?
Definitely.
Miles wears
jacket + trousers. Pence
opposite
Miles wears
jacket. Avirex
trousers. Pence
shoes. Zara
You’re a musician now turned actor, can you talk about the intersection between making music and acting, particularly in this film?
I feel like that was definitely something that helped me on the acting side. Having the experience of performing in front of different crowds and different audiences. That helped me transition into film because it’s similar in the way that you have to convey a message to an audience. You’re trying to convey something through a scene or perform through a song. It’s kind of the same thing. You’ve got to dig deep in yourself, be grounded, and always know what you’re going after. That was something I learned in acting.
I work with Beth McGuire. She’s an incredible actor and dialect coach. She helped me to break down the script and find those different emotional pockets to be able to convey those emotions and the type of things in the scene.
That’s incredible. In addition to working with Beth, you collaborated with Ludwig Göransson on the soundtrack, and you just released ‘I Lied to You’ on your YouTube channel. What was that creative process like? Was it easy for you to go from acting and slip back into your musical roots? That must have felt more comfortable, right?
Absolutely [laughter]. It was crazy. I felt like I was jumping into something that was on such a big platform, but I still had the comfort of being ingrained in the music. It made the transition a lot smoother.
Another thing about this project: Ludwig is a genius. The way they started working on the music, we were able to play some of what he had been working on, on the set. That helped us to get the feel of each scene as we were going through the process. But making ‘I Lied to You’ was really dope. I remember after a couple of days of filming, I went to the studio, and that’s where I got to see, his whole setup and his team, and his wife, Serena, who also worked on the music.
They had already been working on the music for ‘I Lied to You.’ It was written by Raphael Sadiq. They played it for me and I was like, “Yo, this is going to be amazing, man.” They pictured it as the big moment in the film where Sammie shows everybody his talent. You know, he’s been going for a while, and he’s ready to show people what he has. He’s ready to make his move. So, that was his big song. I was excited to be able to put my twist on it. I had been listening to a bunch of different blues artists, Howlin’ Wolf and Buddy Guy. So, I was already mapping out how I wanted the character to sound. Once we got in the booth, that was it.
What would you say is a common thread between you and Sammie?
I’d say the overall ambition. Just the drive to really be great and do what you love to do and navigating the best way to go about it. You know, in the film, you see that Sammie comes from a religious background, he’s got family, he’s got his cousins, but he’s also trying to decide things for himself. That resonated with me.
During another interview, you stated that you’re a horror movie fan. So, I’d be remiss if I didn’t ask, what are your favorite horror films? Maybe the top two or three? What about horror entices you?
As a kid, I always watched horror films. My uncle was the one person who put me on to a bunch of different horror films. Then once he saw that it wasn’t scary to me, he would try to find the next and the next thing to try to scare me [laughs], it never worked. I grew up on Chucky, Friday the 13th, and Halloween. Those are some of my favorites.
Have you watched any Japanese or Korean horror? Like the original Grunge, The Ring or anything like that?
No, I haven’t. I gotta tap in.
Miles wears
jacket. Avirex
trousers. Pence
opposite
Miles wears
shirt + trousers. Sandro
For sure, the Americanized versions of those are completely watered down in comparison. What, in your opinion, about horror keeps people coming back for more?
I’d probably say the new stories that they’re able to create. Pushing the boundaries on what’s possible. Connecting them to events that may have occurred, just to bring that edge every time.
What do you think sets ‘Sinners’ apart? What makes it so unique?
I would say the ties to the 1930s. A lot of things were happening. It was Prohibition, Jim Crow. You have all those stories and the horrific events that were happening during that time, Black people, and the culture. I think the way Ryan tied that in with the horror element was unique and different in the way he kind of made his own twist with the vampires.
I have to say, this has been on my most anticipated movie list since the first trailer dropped last year. This being your first film, what are two things you’ve taken away from the experience?
One, I would say, the gratitude that I have, the newfound gratitude I have for the art of filmmaking and acting. You know, being able to see that up close every day and see the dedication and the work that people put into making the films that we love. It was really inspiring and beautiful to see. There are so many different moving parts that you don’t get to see when you’re watching the film. But when you’re on set and you see the VFX crew and you see wardrobe and you see everybody pitching in to make this whole thing come together, it’s really inspiring.
What do you hope audiences take away from the film?
Oh, man. This film has something for everybody. It’s a fun experience, but I think it highlights the important themes of culture, community, and music. Those are the three big things that this film highlights. I think it’s going to lead to a lot of conversation starters, a lot of things for people to think about. It’s going to be one that people are going to talk about for a long time.
I don’t know if you’ve been on Instagram or Twitter lately, but the conversation has already started. With the press tour winding down now, what’s next for you, whether personally, professionally? Do you just want to go have a nap?
[laughs] This experience has shown me a lot. We went to London, we went to Mexico City, so to be in all of those different places and to be able to experience it with the cast was incredible, but I’m definitely looking forward to getting into some more films. I’m working on music. I got a song that’s coming out pretty soon, and I’m just excited for the future.
Well, your future is going to be bright. Miles, thank you so much for your time today.
This was amazing.
I can’t wait to see how far you go.
I appreciate you.
Miles wears
blazer. Wangda
shirt. Sandro
opposite
Miles wears
blazer. Wangda
shirt + trousers. Sandro
shoes. Zara
‘Sinners‘ is out now.
photography. Mihailo Andic
fashion. Katherine Ventura
talent. Miles Caton
grooming. Marcos “Reggae” Smith @ Tomlinson Management Group
lighting tech. Manas Sinha
retouch. Mihailo Andic
photography assistant. Jishnu Chowdhury + Risheet Senapathy
location. Brooklyn, New York
interview. Dana Reboe
