Miles Caton started preparing for his first major movie role when director Ryan Coogler sent him a playlist of essential blues tracks. “It had the greats — Charley Patton, Buddy Guy, B.B. King — so I spent the first couple weeks listening nonstop,” Caton said.
The playlist helped Caton step into the shoes of Sammie Moore, also known as Preacher Boy, in the best picture-nominated film Sinners. The Brooklyn native was 18 when he first began discussing the role, portraying a preacher’s son who chooses a life devoted to the blues over following his father’s path.
Now 21, Caton has a deep, commanding voice and an easy smile. He’s focused on building on his role in Sinners, which has received 16 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Original Score. The film has also won two Golden Globes, three BAFTAs, and 13 NAACP Image Awards.
Music drives the heart of Sinners, set in a fictionalized Clarksdale, Mississippi — widely considered the birthplace of blues. Caton fully immersed himself in the craft, learning to play guitar and resonator guitar, an instrument specific to the region and the film.
Ludwig Göransson, a multi-Grammy and Oscar-winning musician who frequently collaborates with Coogler, produced the film’s score. He taught Caton the song “I Lied To You” on guitar before any lyrics existed. The track anchors one of the movie’s most iconic sequences, where Sammie uses music so powerfully it seems to summon spirits from the past and future.
Caton recalled seeing the previsualization for the scene: “I thought maybe ghosts would be flying around or something,” he laughed. “But watching it come to life was mind-blowing.”
Another emotional highlight appears in the mid-credits scene, featuring a song co-written and performed by Caton and Grammy-nominated artist Alice Smith, known for her work in The Harder They Fall and HBO’s Lovecraft Country.
From a blues playlist to the big screen, Miles Caton’s dedication to music and character has made him one of Hollywood’s most exciting new talents.
