Ryan Coogler, director of ‘Sinners’, on winning an Oscar: “My prize is the opportunity to have this job”

Ryan Coogler is one of the most talked-about directors of the moment and could soon win the first Oscar of his career. With only days to go before the next Academy Awards ceremony – scheduled for the early hours of March 16 (around 7 p.m. ET on March 15) – Variety spoke with the filmmaker about the possibility of taking home the coveted statuette.

For Coogler, however, the real prize isn’t an Oscar but the chance to keep doing the work he loves. “My reward is the opportunity to have this job. The opportunity to write a script, assemble a team, generate union jobs and contribute to the health care, insurance and families of all these people,” the director said. In his view, continuing to develop film projects and sustaining the work of many industry professionals is recognition enough. Awards come second.

A director who has kept his feet on the ground

Afterward, the filmmaker explained that this outlook is partly shaped by what he describes as a sense of “survivor’s guilt.” Being a visible figure for many artists hoping to break into Hollywood, he said, also brings a responsibility he tries to approach with humility. To keep that balance in his life, Coogler says his anchors are therapy, his marriage and constant contact with family and friends. Among relatives and lifelong friends, his Hollywood career plays a secondary role – something he believes helps him stay grounded.

In recent months, Ryan Coogler has watched other filmmakers, including Paul Thomas Anderson, move ahead of him in the race for the Best Director Oscar. Yet that doesn’t trouble him as much as many might assume. “Every day that I get out of bed I can contribute something to the world. That’s what I’m focused on,” he said.

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