Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Episode: Ryan Coogler
Date: January 13, 2026
Host: Amy Poehler
Guest: Ryan Coogler (Director, "Sinners," "Black Panther," "Creed," "Fruitvale Station")
Special Intro Guest: Ludwig Göransson (Composer)
Episode Overview
This rich, freewheeling episode features acclaimed filmmaker Ryan Coogler, fresh off the release of his award-buzzy film "Sinners." Amy Poehler creates space for deep dives into Coogler’s influences, creative process, collaboration, early movie memories, and unique takes on genre, laughter, and communal art-making. The episode opens with a warm, personal chat with Coogler’s long-time composer Ludwig Göransson before Amy launches into her “good hang” with Ryan, touching on everything from football to the power of blues music, their shared love for the moviegoing experience, and the magnetic allure of vampires versus zombies.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Ludwig Göransson on Meeting and Collaborating with Ryan Coogler
[03:00 – 11:59]
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How they met: Göransson and Coogler met at USC in 2008 and bonded over music and film, first connecting at a fraternity house party over a game of pool.
"We kind of started bonding over music. And then that translated into film. And so, yeah, we were just kind of college kids in the beginning. Started just hanging out at parties and talking about music and film." — Ludwig Göransson [05:04]
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Early collaboration: First scored Ryan’s student film "Locks," with Ryan’s genuine passion making Göransson want to keep working together.
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Approach to collaboration: Describes the fun and passion they both bring to work, blending friendship and creative partnership:
"When you get to combine that friendship with work, so that makes it very special. You can hang out with your buddies, right, while working." — Ludwig Göransson [06:49]
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Signature instruments for key films:
- "Fruitvale Station": Guitar, deeply rooted in both their family histories with blues music.
- "Black Panther": Talking drums, inspired by Ludwig’s research in Senegal.
- "Sinners": A return to guitar and blues, with blues legend Buddy Guy making a cameo.
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On Coogler’s Guitar Skills:
"When we were doing Sinners, he was... practicing guitar. He was playing almost every day. You know, he had a guitar in his office..." [10:29]
- Tells Amy to “check in” on Ryan’s guitar “chops.”
2. Amy and Ryan: Moviegoing, Artistry, and Openness to Influence
[12:56 – 20:16]
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Amy’s admiration for Ryan’s creative openness: Sees Coogler’s work as embracing limitless possibility and constant inspiration.
"What I love about your work and your characters is that you don't limit the possibilities of what you want to do as an artist and what your characters could do." — Amy Poehler [13:09]
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Ryan on the importance of diverse influence:
"All of my experiences definitely, like, inform me where I find myself. ...I have to stay true to myself and what I like and also consider what people came up consuming, if that makes sense." — Ryan Coogler [13:59]
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On communal moviegoing experiences:
"I love how it's just you in there with a bunch of different types of people... when a movie is great, everybody kind of unifies, you know, like you feel everybody's energy focused on the same thing." — Ryan Coogler [17:12]
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Why movies belong in theaters:
"When something's happening that has you, like, feeling like you, you out of control, you still gotta go with it. That feeling of giving yourself over to something that you don't have to control, to pause, rewind, or fast forward— that is a really, you know, it's a really nice feeling." — Ryan Coogler [18:37]
3. Formative Movie Memories & Oakland Upbringing
[19:50 – 22:18]
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Key movies that transformed Ryan: "Boys in the Hood," "Beauty and the Beast," "Malcolm X," and especially "Jurassic Park" at the Oakland drive-in.
"Jurassic Park... I got addicted to that feeling." — Ryan Coogler [20:43]
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Childhood in Oakland, football background: Grew up playing sports, specifically as a receiver—learned teamwork, discipline, and resilience.
4. Building a Creative Team and the Importance of Community
[24:58 – 29:47]
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Path from chemistry/finance to film: Inspired by a teacher’s encouragement to write, shifted academic tracks while maintaining athletic scholarship.
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USC as a creative nexus:
"I met, I mean, I guess all the people I work with... all the people I work with. Lulig was who I met first... and then my co writer on Creed, Aaron Covington... and eventually I meet Sev Ohanian." — Ryan Coogler [26:15]
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Relationship with wife Zinzi:
- Met as teens in Oakland—she became integral to his creative process:
"I always talk to her about what I'm thinking about working on and she'll... hone my pitch with her. She'll be the first person to read what I write, give me feedback..." — Ryan Coogler [28:51]
- She bought him Final Draft to support his early writing.
- Met as teens in Oakland—she became integral to his creative process:
5. Collaboration on "Sinners": Process and Inspirations
[32:41 – 46:01]
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“Sinners” genesis:
- Pitched first to Zinzi, who gave candid feedback over multiple rounds.
- Brought composer Ludwig Jöransson in before a script even existed; stressed importance of multiple “hooks” (twins, blues, doppelganger fears).
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On writing twins:
"Also have a crippling fear of doppelgangers... it's a hook for me because I have twins in my family." — Ryan Coogler [34:44]
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*Extensive research on twins for Michael B. Jordan's dual roles.
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Casting Michael B. Jordan:
- "The Wire" was Ryan’s introduction to Michael’s immense talent.
- Having a recurring actor-director partnership is akin to finding rhythmic connection in football:
"Finding a rhythm is like a... fundamental to, I think, to achieving greatness." — Ryan Coogler [36:49]
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Fostering set culture:
"[Michael B.] learns the PA's name, he learns the camera operator's name... he gonna be able to do great work without making people's lives miserable. He gonna treat people with kindness." [37:55]
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On the power of presence:
"That very act of being present, he [Chadwick Boseman] was so good at that. So I think about that all the time." [49:52]
6. Genre Talk: Vampires, Zombies, and Creative Risk
[39:54 – 41:20]
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Why vampires, not zombies?
"Vampires are sexy. Zombies are not... and your film has a... you basically create in the midst of horror, like, love and romance and sex." — Amy Poehler [40:07]
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Creative decision-making:
- Used real history of blues musicians, ancestors as thematic inspiration for a surreal dance scene:
"I realized that this scene was the midpoint. And it dawned on me that... the real people that they based on, these black folks in the 1930s... invented probably the most impactful American contribution to global popular culture. And they invented it just because they wanted to feel alive for a few hours Friday and Saturday night." — Ryan Coogler [42:52]
- Used real history of blues musicians, ancestors as thematic inspiration for a surreal dance scene:
7. Process and Tribute: Behind the Scenes of “Sinners”
[44:23 – 47:45]
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The legendary dance sequence:
- Contributions of key collaborators: Choreography (Aakoman Jones), cinematography (Autumn Durald Arkapaw, first female DP to shoot in the IMAX format), and costume design (Ruth Carter).
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*Collaboration to achieve emotional crescendo with surreal, ancestral visuals.
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Remembrance of Chadwick Boseman:
"But his natural way of being, I think... he would do it in accent... he was incredible, man, and, like, deeply, deeply funny... we would laugh most about the costumes..." — Ryan Coogler [46:01 – 47:49]
8. Working with Ludwig Göransson – The Blues Connection
[51:13 – 55:42]
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Global impact of blues music:
- Records labeled "race records" exported classic blues to Europe, influencing countless artists.
- Ludwig’s father saw John Lee Hooker and Albert King in Sweden, became a blues guitarist, and taught Ludwig guitar.
- Ludwig only connected with his dad’s music after discovering Metallica—drawing a full circle with Ryan’s family history and creative journey.
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How’s Ryan’s guitar playing?
"It's not going well... bring Zinzi in here, she'll tell you all of them. But no, no, I'm terrible." — Ryan Coogler [55:59]
"But the guitar is still there. My kids play it now, but I gotta get back on my lessons." [56:18]
9. Legacy, Comedy, and Joy
[56:47 – End]
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Amy on seeing "Black Panther" with her sons:
"...to see something together, a shared experience like that, together, and to walk out... feeling completely changed... the way in which their lives were truly changed by that film is so special to me." — Amy Poehler [56:48]
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On the next “Black Panther” installment:
"They would want me to ask you if you're making another one. — Yes." — [57:29]
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Relationships to comedy and laughter:
- Influential films: "Coming to America," "Friday," "The Other Guys"
"One of my favorite movies is Coming to America... I love Friday... The Other Guys. I think that gets slept on." — Ryan Coogler [59:10–59:42]
- Finds a lot of comedy these days on the Internet and through sketch:
"Obviously SNL... I Got Homies. That's been on there and just, you know, like, I love what Mike did on there with the stuff. The State Farm bit..." [60:04–60:13]
- Loves the range of comedic performance, admires Amy and fellow comedians.
- Influential films: "Coming to America," "Friday," "The Other Guys"
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
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On the gift of presence (Chadwick Boseman):
"That very act of being present, he was so good at that. ...Since losing him... I would be not present in those moments... But since losing him... I literally learned that from him." — Ryan Coogler [49:52]
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On movies as communal experiences:
"I love how it's just you in there with a bunch of different types of people... when a movie is great, everybody kind of unifies." — Ryan Coogler [17:12]
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On his wife Zinzi’s support:
"...she was just really supportive, you know, like I was writing screenplays in Microsoft Word and kind of like venting to her, like, man, if one day I got the software that cost 300 bucks called Final Draft, ...she set over her money, got that for me." — Ryan Coogler [28:50]
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On working with Michael B. Jordan:
"It's phenomenal to have found an actor who's so talented... he's professional, but he's also, like, a good person... he learns the PA's name..." — Ryan Coogler [37:55]
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On creative risk and striving for hooks:
"I'm a firm believer in like some things having multiple hooks... and it's a hook for me because I have twins in my family... but also have a crippling fear of doppelgangers." — Ryan Coogler [34:35]
Important Timestamps by Segment
- 03:00–11:59 – Ludwig Göransson interview
- 12:56–20:16 – Amy and Ryan on influences, moviegoing
- 19:50–22:18 – Transformative childhood movie experiences
- 24:58–29:47 – Football, academic path, meeting Zinzi and team-building
- 32:41–41:20 – Developing "Sinners": twins, Michael B. Jordan, genre
- 41:20–47:45 – Iconic "Sinners" scenes, Chadwick Boseman memories, set culture
- 51:13–55:42 – Ryan & Ludwig’s blues connection, guitar talk
- 56:47–End – Legacy, next "Black Panther," relationship to comedy
Overall Tone & Style
The conversation is playful, sincere, and brimming with warmth and mutual respect. Amy brings her signature curiosity and humor, creating a relaxed, insightful environment. Ryan is reflective, candid, and honest—willing to credit his collaborators and discuss vulnerability. References to teamwork, family, and the communal power of storytelling run throughout, providing both personal and professional resonance.
Summary for Listeners
This episode is a must-listen for fans of Coogler, aspiring filmmakers, and anyone interested in the alchemy of movie magic—combining personal history, collaborative ethos, genre play, and the unquantifiable joy of sharing stories that move audiences. From the blues to blockbusters, and football fields to film sets, this “good hang” showcases the art and heart behind a vital American storyteller.