Wunmi Mosaku from Sinners Shares Her Joy Over Unexpected Oscars Nomination: “I Didn’t Realize the Industry Could Be So Kind”

Sinners has made waves by becoming the most nominated film in Academy Awards history, following the announcement of the 2026 nominations. Wunmi Mosaku, a first-time nominee for Best Supporting Actress, expressed her disbelief and gratitude for the character crafted by Ryan Coogler.

“It’s such a beautiful continuation of this journey that I have described as magical from the moment I met with Ryan. From the moment I read the first scene, I felt so in love with Annie and Smoke,” she shared. “I feel like I’ve grown so much through all the lessons I’ve learned through Annie from doing the research, from feeling connected to my ancestry and my ancestors and my purpose and my culture, and this woman from Louisiana has taught me so much about myself. So it just feels really beautiful.”

Mosaku described the film as a perfectly written script and reflected on her joyful experience while working on it. “I felt joyful going to work. I felt joyful coming home. I felt like I was a better mom. I felt like I was a better actor, better partner, a better person, and then to have it be loved by the audience, that they showed up so much and really showed out for us, it showed us so much love and support. It’s been a really beautiful journey,” she added.

On her Oscar nomination, the Loki star remarked, “I can’t believe it. I didn’t know that this industry could be so gentle and kind in moments. So it feels really nice to have the whole cast and crew get their flowers, especially Delroy [Lindo] and Michael [B. Jordan] and Ryan and the whole technical crew. It just feels amazing.”

Sinners received an impressive 16 nominations this year, surpassing the previous record held by All About Eve, Titanic, and La La Land. In addition to Mosaku’s nomination, the vampire horror film is contending for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Jordan), Best Supporting Actor (Delroy Lindo), Best Original Screenplay, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, and more. Notably, it is also nominated for Best Casting, marking the first new category introduced by the Academy in over two decades.

Following Sinners in nominations are One Battle After Another with 13, and both Frankenstein and Sentimental Value with 9 each, while Hamnet garnered eight nominations. In contrast, Wicked: For Good received no nominations.

The Oscars 2026 ceremony is set for Sunday, March 15.