Jack O’Connell opens up about the origins of Sinners‘s leading vampire Remmick, explaining what he knew of his character’s past, and why Ryan Coogler’s horror movie never dwells on it. The Black Panther and Creed director’s 2025 period horror feature focuses on a pair of gangsters coming back to their hometown in the Mississippi Delta in hopes of launching their dream business, only to draw the attention of bloodthirsty monsters. Sinners stars Michael B Jordan, Miles Caton, Hailee Steinfeld, Wunmi Mosaku, Delroy Lindo, Kaye Lawson, and Li Jun Li.
As Sinners continues to impress critics and audiences, O’Connell opened up about some of the movie’s lesser-explored lore when speaking to Gamesradar+. The actor stated that Coogler held no secrets about the character and that he and the director had spent a lot of time talking about Remmick’s history. Though, even after that, he was left wondering how Coogler would ever be able to condense the character’s origin into the runtime, praising the director’s dedication. Check out O’Connell’s full explanation below:
One of the things I love about Ryan is you can ask him any question relevant to the story or the character, and if he doesn’t have the answer straight away, he will make sure he’s got one by the end of the day, even if you’ve had to answer it together. He’s so inquisitive and so he interrogates every detail with you. I mean, Remmick has, like 600-700 years worth of heritage, just by nature of being a vampire. As long as he follows a certain set of rules, he just lives forever. So there was all that. How you pack that into, you know, two hours worth of cinema or a performance is unknown to me, which is why it was great to have someone like Coogler, who’s there with you all the time, just as curious as you are.
What O’Connell’s Response Reveals About Remmick’s Past
Historical Insight Adds To The Tragedy That The Movie Hints Towards
While never the focus of Sinners, the movie does offer plenty of hints as to just what shaped Remmick before he began his unlife. While he speaks with a Southern accent throughout much of the movie, moments where he slips into an Irish accent and his own musical talents reveal his true heritage as an Irishman who lived at some point in the 1200s, when paired with O’Connell’s quote. With this information, it can be inferred that Remmick’s family suffered during the expansion of Christianity into Ireland following Pope Adrian IV’s authorization of English campaigns into the country.
As he lost home and loved ones to the invaders, Remmick at some point was turned into a vampire shortly after. With his new state of being, he saw himself as a healer who could create a new community with his thralls free of the divisions that divided humanity. However, it can be ᴀssumed that his efforts were scuppered, as he found himself in America alone among the waves of other Irish imigrants from the 1560s onwards, leading to him arriving on the doorstep of Joan (Lola Kirke) and Bert (Peter Dreimanis), and later into earsH๏τ of Sammie’s (Caton) music.
Our Thoughts On Sinner’s Unspoken Backstories
The Movie Leaves Viewers Hungry For More
One of Sinners‘ greatest strengths is how it conveys its world-building to the audience, never pausing to explain details and naturally weaving any exposition a viewer may need into the characters’ conversations – be it about the lore of Coogler’s vampires or the nature of the time period. While this leaves the film easy and accessible, it also creates rich characters who feel like real people, as viewers can easily piece together what shaped them in the runtime. And while Coogler isn’t committed to Sinners spin-offs, audiences being eager to learn more is a testament to his writing.
Source: Gamesradar+
