When did the Academy invite Ryan Coogler to join as a voting member? 'Creed' director reasons why he turned down the offer

In 2016, filmmaker Ryan Coogler was invited by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to join as a voting member. However, he did not accept it. In an interview with the New York Times, Coogler looked back on the decision and said:

“It’s not out of animosity. And I’m not good at judging things, bro. The act of ‘Hey, pick the best thing’ is very stressful for me, even when there’s no stakes involved.”

The Creed director also said:

“People see the tuxedo, they see the red carpet, but it’s real blue-collar folks making these movies happen. Most days, I’m wearing coveralls and Columbia gear, trying to find solutions that aggregate up to a story. And that enabled me not to engage with any narratives around what it is that we do.”

Earlier this month, Ryan Coogler sat down with Good Morning America to discuss the re-release of Sinners. Host George Stephanopoulos quoted The New Yorker, which said that Coogler took a creative risk in the movie. He asked if Ryan Coogler would agree, and the director did. He mentioned:

“I'm putting bits of myself into movies with you know, whether for Fruitvale, it was a pre-existing story or for the Panther films and Creed, you know, they were franchises that I thought I was adding to. But for this one, you know, it was completely something that we came up with on our own. And for me as a writer, director, I was really putting a lot of myself out there in a different type of way.”

Ryan Coogler mentions how he got the idea for Sinners

Ryan Coogler explained that the idea for Sinners came to him while he was listening to an old blues song that his late uncle used to enjoy. After his uncle died, he often listened to blues music to remember him, and over time, he became really interested in it.

One day, while playing that song, the idea for the movie suddenly came to him. George Stephanopoulos asked what he wanted viewers to take from the movie. The director said:

“More than anything, I just hope people have a good time at the movies, you know. I really believe in cinema and its power. It's how I came to find this this job. And it’s one of the few things that I think you can still do in a public space and go do it with strangers.”

Ryan Coogler added:

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“Even though inflation is getting higher and stuff is costing more, I think it's still like a really affordable way to spend time and have entertainment together.”

He said it was one of the greatest honors in his life to put his creativity in theaters. When asked what he thought of Denzel Washington, he said it was a dream. He considered the Man on Fire as the national treasure. Ryan Coogler said he couldn't miss the opportunity to work with the actor.

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