Welcome to the Actor's Guide to the End of the World, episode 69! E-Kan and Rían recently stumbled on Ryan Coogler's deep appreciation for Irish culture, and they do a deep dive on how that comes through in his Oscar-nominated hit, Sinners, and why the lead vampire is Irish. They geek out on Ryan Coogler's beautiful DGA Awards speech, his families’ strong ties to unions, and why Sinners, which has been nominated for record breaking 16 nominations, is a masterpiece.

This episode also is a rare opportunity to honor some special immigrant stories, including Rían’s. E-Kan will share his parents’ journey to the U.S., and clear up exactly how and why he does not know the difference between Neil Diamond and Paul Simon. There's also a lesson for creators and artists in there.

This is a special episode everyone, enjoy!

Ryan Coogler's DGA Speech- https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1548374013100034

Ryan Coogler - “Luck of the Irish” story

https://deadline.com/2025/11/ryan-coogler-dcom-the-luck-of-the-irish-influenced-sinners-1236619175/

Hidden gems:

Stay Home Friend

https://stayhomefriend.com/

This Bitter Earth/On the Nature of Daylight (Hamnet Song)

https://open.spotify.com/track/0fVUKrJpQM7jMTgOABVkyi?si=Oa3o9ocKSjm97tvoVFKnrw

Time Stamps:

(00:00) Intro

(01:00) Ryan Coogler’s DGA Awards speech and union ties

(03:45) How important was it joining the union?

(05:12) Ryan Coogler and his Irish ties

(12:43) Why E-Kan doesn’t know Paul Simon and Neil Diamond

(20:15) Lessons for creators

(21:05) Rían’s immigration story

(25:23) Hidden Gems