This interview is part of “Pivotal,” a Q&A series where we highlight the defining moments that have shaped a star’s career — from breakthrough roles to game-changing milestones to epic moments that catapult them into the spotlight. Read our previous interview with Jabari Banks here.
Nothing has been the same for Miles Caton since his remarkable debut in Ryan Coogler’s critically acclaimed horror spectacle “Sinners.” In fact, as the budding star puts it, “Life has changed tremendously,” and in the best way possible.
Before Caton was hand-selected to portray the role of sweet-singing Sammie “Preacher Boy” Moore, the 20-year-old’s sole focus was on pursuing a career in music, a path he was practically destined for, coming from a gifted family of gospel powerhouses. Aside from a couple of school productions, the Brooklyn native had no formal acting experience, nor had he paid any mind to becoming a professional actor one day. According to him, “music was always the thing.”
“It was always my dream to be a musician, to be an artist,” Caton shared on an early November Zoom, noting early influences he was inspired by, including Michael Jackson.
“That was something I always had in mind. But throughout the way, I had done little stuff that, looking back now, makes sense that I would venture off into acting,” he continued. “I did a couple of plays, but it was never in my mind that I’m gonna be an actor [or] a movie star.”
It wasn’t until a famous friend (Oscar- and Grammy-winning singer H.E.R.) nudged Caton to audition for a movie that called for a musical prodigy with deep reverence for the blues that he considered the idea. But he had no idea the world of opportunity it’d lead to.
For his first acting gig, Caton had the privilege of sharing the screen with seasoned vets like Michael B. Jordan, Delroy Lindo, Wunmi Mosaku and Jack O’Connell. Still, even as a newcomer, the budding star emerged as, perhaps, the biggest standout of Coogler’s film, for both his impressive acting chops and musical contributions — the original songs “I Lied to You” (accompanied by that unforgettable juke joint montage) and “Last Time (I Seen the Sun),” the latter of which he also co-wrote.
Both tracks have since been submitted for next year’s Oscars, on the heels of plenty of award buzz for Caton’s castmates and the rest of the “Sinners” crew — something else the young actor didn’t anticipate, even though he knew during filming that they were working on something truly special.
“Just feels surreal,” Caton remarked of his whirlwind year. “But rolling with it, it’s been amazing.”
“Sinners” has undoubtedly yielded the biggest career breakthrough for Caton, but he’s no stranger to those moments. As a young child, he appeared on NBC’s kid talent competition series “Little Big Shots,” where he blew viewers and host Steve Harvey away with his roaring vocals. Before Caton was even out of high school, his distinctive, now-soulful voice also captured the attention of big-name stars like H.E.R. (with whom he toured all across the world) and Jay-Z (as the opening to the rapper’s “4:44” short film).
Thanks to his awe-inspiring performance in “Sinners,” Caton was even tapped to pay homage to the late great Quincy Jones at this year’s BET Awards, alongside fellow singers Lucky Daye and Luke James (“That was a really special moment to honor Quincy, man,” he reflected).
Music is still a priority for Caton — he dropped a new single this summer and says he has plans to release an EP next year. But as one of the new faces of young Hollywood, the world is his oyster for the acting projects he has on the way now, all because of one life-changing role.
“I had no idea that so much could come out of it,” Caton reflected. “It always felt like something that I was supposed to do. And the further I went into filming, meeting Ryan and Mike and all the incredible actors and producers, I felt like this was something that was going to be really special.”
“Fast forward to now, it’s opened up so many other doors,” he added, “so I’m just pacing everything, and I’m being intentional about what I want to do next. But it’s unbelievable.”
In this installment of “Pivotal,” Caton talks about landing the role of a lifetime, being the new kid on the acting block, paying homage to blues greats and his chances of scoring an Oscar nomination.
In conversation with HuffPost, Caton opened up about his breakout “Sinners” role, discovering his true potential onscreen and his chances at scoring an Oscar nomination.
Before we talk more about “Sinners,” tell me a bit about yourself. I know you grew up in Brooklyn, and you come from a musical household — your mother and aunt are both gospel singers. Are they the ones who influenced you to pursue music?
Yeah, for sure. I come from a very musical family. My grandparents are actually singers as well. I grew up listening to Whitney Houston, Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder. I’ve been singing since I was like, 2 or 3 years old. The first song that I ever learned was “A Change Is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke. My aunt taught me that one random day, and that was the first song I started singing. That was the start of my journey. So from then on, I just kept singing at different birthday parties and events. And then when I was 10, I did a video on Instagram and sang Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good,” and it went viral. Then, maybe a couple of days later, I got hit up, and they wanted to use my video in Jay-Z’s “4:44” short film for his album.
I was going to ask about that.
Yeah, yeah, we were, like, blown away.
What was your initial reaction to that?
I was like, what? Like, Jay-Z? I mean, coming from New York and Brooklyn is just like… Jay-Z, that’s a no-brainer. So that was crazy. And then I did another video that went viral, me singing “For Every Mountain” at [T. D. Jakes’] The Potter’s House as a kid. That video got me put on “Little Big Shots,” the NBC TV show with Steve Harvey. Then after that, I just kept working. I went through puberty, and my voice dropped, so I had to relearn how to sing because I had a high voice as a kid. But I worked through those changes, and then when I was 15, turning 16, I got the call to audition to sing background for H.E.R. That’s when everything really started to kick off.
What was that experience like, being out on tour with H.E.R.?
It was amazing. That was definitely a pivotal point in my life, for sure, because it allowed me to see so much on the road. It allowed me to see what was possible for myself as an artist with the different audiences. To see the work ethic and what it actually takes to grind and get up in the morning, do the press interviews, go to rehearsal and then go to the photo shoots. I got to see Gabi [Wilson] do all of that stuff and still remain such a nice person, giving and always humble. That was really inspiring. And then later on, we opened up for Coldplay, and she took me with her on that world tour. We were in Europe and Germany, and we just traveled, so I really got to see the world at a young age. It just showed me that there’s no limits to this. You can take it as far as you want to go.
Miles Caton learned how to play the guitar within two months for his role as Sammie “Preacher Boy” Moore in “Sinners.”
That touring experience was sort of the precursor for “Sinners” because H.E.R. is the one who encouraged you to audition for the movie. At the time, did you think that you had a real shot at getting the part of Sammie?
Nope! [Laughs] It got serious for me when they called me to go to Los Angeles to do the in-person audition. That’s when I actually started to … not take it seriously, but I started to be like, “Yo, is this really possible right now?” Because [the process] started off at the end of 2023. [H.E.R. and I] were doing a festival in Johannesburg. She had told me about the movie before that, but I did my first interview in the hotel room in Johannesburg. And then when we all got back home, I sent in a video of me playing guitar — I didn’t know how to play. I was on YouTube looking at a video of Sam Cooke, and a song was playing: “Bring It on Home to Me.” I saw a guy playing it, like a couple of chords, so I tried to learn it as fast as I could. I played it. It took me like 30 takes, and then I finally got it, and I sent that into them.
So, that audition got me the callback, and then they sent me the sides, which is the opening scene [in “Sinners”] on the plantation where you hear Sammie talking to the sharecropper. Also, the other scene where Sammie is talking to his father about playing the blues. I read those two, and I sent in my initial official audition. After that, I was like, all right, they just kind of entertaining it, whatever. But once they said, “We want to fly you out,” I was like, Oh, this is getting serious.
“Sinners” was kept pretty hush-hush, so at what point did you learn this was going to be a vampire horror movie?
After I got the script, I found out that it was Ryan Coogler [who wrote the film and would be directing], and it was going to be a thriller-horror movie. They didn’t say it was vampires. None of that information was there yet. Then they said there was going to be a lead actor attached to it, like a star actor. So I put two and two together, and I figured it was already going to be Mike. But that’s as far as I knew going into the audition.
Once I got the role, they sent me the whole script. I just went home one day, and I read it down. When it gets to the part where it’s Stack and Mary in the room, and she bites his neck, [I was like], hold on, what’s going on? The original script started off with Remmick jumping into the shot, where he runs into the house with the smoke. But there was no indication of any of that [vampire] stuff at the beginning of the film initially. So when you’re reading it, you’re thinking it’s a regular story, and then when it gets to the juke joint, that’s when you figure out what’s going on. So it was a complete shock for me. I was like, yeah, this one is different.
Were you more excited or nervous once you figured out what your part was going to be in that?
I was honestly speechless. It was just such a curveball because the initial script they sent me said he was a 19-year-old sharecropper who plays the guitar, and he would have been Sam Cooke if it were 20 years later. Because it was set in the 1930s, I’m thinking it’s like a biopic or something, or a movie about an old musician. Then, when I get the script, it’s something completely different. So yeah, there was definitely a little bit of hesitation. But after I spoke to Ryan and after I got the role, we did a couple of Zoom [calls], and he talked about the story and what it meant to him. It made me feel like it was something I was supposed to do.
Ryan Coogler said he chose you for this role because he saw something special in you. How did it feel to have someone like him have that kind of faith in you without an acting resume?
Definitely surreal. I remember he was sitting next to me when we were doing press together, and an interviewer asked him that type of question. He said that he saw a video that I released in 2023 when I had graduated — I was touring with H.E.R. still, and the day before my graduation, we flew out to Paris to perform at Global Citizen, and then the next day, we flew straight back to my graduation. I got off the plane and drove straight to my school.
He saw that and said that was one of the things that let him know that I was the guy for the role, because of my work ethic and my determination to accomplish whatever. He was super motivating throughout this whole process. He always encouraged me. It was really inspiring to have someone at his level be able to give me this type of opportunity.
Caton listened to a slew of blues greats to prepare for his part in “Sinners.” “They were oppressed, and there was so much stuff going on, and they used the blues as an outlet to tell their story,” he said. “So I really wanted to try to capture that.”
For this role, you had to learn how to play the guitar. What else did your preparation for Sammie entail?
I definitely needed some acting lessons. [laughs] That was the first thing. I worked with Beth McGuire. She’s an incredible acting and dialect coach. She worked with Lupita [Nyong’o] and Mike on “Black Panther,” and many other actors, but she helped me to really break down the script. She worked with me on a crash course in acting and how to get different emotions out of a scene. Then we broke down the accent, and what those blues players sound like, their mannerisms.
The blues is, of course, such a central part of the story in “Sinners.” What musicians were you inspired by for your character?
I listened to a lot of Charlie Patton. Of course, Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters, specifically Son House, though. “Death Letter Blues” was one of his songs that I started to learn first on the resonator guitar. Then I would watch a bunch of his interviews and videos, whatever I could find to learn about him and the blues musicians back in that time. They all had such interesting stories. They were oppressed, and there was so much stuff going on, and they used the blues as an outlet to tell their story. So I really wanted to try to capture that.
Speaking of Buddy Guy, you two don’t share any scenes in “Sinners,” but did you get a chance to meet him on set during filming?
I did! So that scene you see at the end, that was one that was filmed pretty early on into production. I remember me and Jayme Lawson, we were off that day, and we both went to the set just to watch them work and to see everybody doing their thing. I got to meet Buddy, and he was just, man, such a legend. Just seeing him play live … and he’s still touring to this day, still doing his thing. It was really, really, really crazy to see.
Have you spoken to him since the film came out? Has he said anything about your performance?
No, I haven’t. Man, Buddy Guy been busy. Man, he been working. He’s literally been on tour since the movie came out, so I’m definitely excited to catch up with him.
Do you remember what your first day on set was like?
Yeah, I remember just being really anxious and kind of excited to do it. I remember there was the camera test, which was like the fake first day. The real first day was me and Mike shooting that scene as Sammie and Stack when I play the guitar [in the car]. I remember getting up early. It was like 4 in the morning, and we had to drive on location that day, and it was like an hour and a half away. I was just really prayerful, listening to my music, trying to be in the moment and get into character. It was a really good day. It was hot. We were on a plantation, and we were in like three-piece wool suits, so it was crazy, but it was really cool. I got to play the song [“Travelin’”] for the first time. After that, I feel like that set the tone for the rest of the filming.
Caton said his “Sinners” cast mates gave him a “masterclass” in acting during filming. “I felt like it made it easy for me to work with what they were doing, because they’re so good,” he shared.
You were fortunate enough to be in a movie with such a stacked ensemble cast. What was it like acting alongside such seasoned actors?
It was like a master class. To see Mike and his work ethic and his dedication to the characters, the detail work that he did was really unbelievable. To watch Delroy, just a legend, man, for so many years. To see his process of how he interprets the characters, and his improv, it’s really unbelievable to watch. He really puts you in the world, and you just gotta go with it, because you never know what amazing thing you can capture when you just let him go. When the camera was just rolling, he could come up with a million different things on the spot. So, to be able to work with those guys was definitely inspiring. I felt like it made it easy for me to work with what they were doing, because they’re so good.
Now that you mention Delroy, I have to ask about that scene where his character, Delta Slim, Sammie and Stack are in the car. He tells the story of his friend being lynched and then starts humming. That was definitely improv, yeah?
Yeah, yeah, for sure. That scene where he goes into singing, that was completely improvised. I feel like for Sammie, the way I tried to play it was just trying to visualize and understand everything he just said, and he goes into song. [Sammie] doesn’t really know what to do. He’s still taken aback by the words, right? But in that moment, it gives the revelation of what the blues meant for those people during that time. There wasn’t much around for them to use as an outlet to tell those stories or relieve some of that anger, some of that pain. Music, the guitar and the different instruments were outlets to be able to express themselves. I feel like that was a really raw and dope showcase of that.
Back to Michael B. Jordan’s performance. What was it like seeing him up close, playing two different characters?
That was crazy. I remember there were a couple of days when we would try to work on the script and read through some of our lines, and he would map out all of the different notes that he had for each twin. That really inspired me to do the work for my character. I was like, man, if he could do this for two characters, I’ve got to at least do this for my one character. That was something I learned from him — how to annotate different notes for the character and different reasons. Why did he say this? Why did he do that? What’s the thought process? Where’s he going with it? Being able to break down the reasons why we do what we do was definitely inspiring.
And then the technical aspect of it was interesting, too. They built this rig of cameras around him called the Halo that captured all the angles of his face, so that they could use it for the twin or the body double. So some days that would be difficult to work around, because you have to stand a certain distance away from him, but still act with the same intensity and emotion. Then there would be other times where all of us would be doing group scenes, and we would have to look at Smoke or Stack, and we’d be looking at a golf ball for the eye line. So it was just so much funny stuff that we would have to work through, but it was a lot of fun.
You sang two original songs featured in the movie, one of which you also co-wrote [“Last Time (I Seen the Sun)”], and they were both reportedly submitted for consideration at the Oscars. What would it mean to you to be nominated in that category?
I mean, the fact that it’s even a discussion right now is just … It’s so beyond where I thought I would be at this point. I’m a person who really likes to pace it out and plan stuff and work my way up, but to be considered for this stuff now is just unreal. Regardless of the outcome, I feel like we did what we did. But to be considered and for that to be a possibility is just a testament to what can happen when you stay focused and stay locked into what you want to do.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
