Good Hang with Amy Poehler

Ryan Coogler

January 13, 2026

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  • Filmmaker Ryan Coogler and composer Ludwig Göransson first bonded over shared musical tastes, including Swedish artists, while attending USC. 
  • Ryan Coogler highly values the communal, shared experience of watching films in a theater, noting the inability to pause as a key element of immersion. 
  • The concept of twins and the fear of doppelgangers served as a sticky, multi-layered hook for Ryan Coogler when developing the story for *Sinners*. 
  • The participants share an appreciation for comedy, with one stating that comedy is the "highest level of what we do" and praising those who can excel in scripted and improvised work. 
  • The conversation included a detailed discussion about a specific, dark, David Lynch-esque *Saturday Night Live* (SNL) sketch involving 'Jake from State Farm' that Ryan Coogler enjoyed. 
  • The episode concludes with Amy Poehler sharing personal, nostalgic details about the posters she had on her wall growing up, including White Snake, a potential *Big Business* poster, and kissing Teen Beat cutouts of Sean Cassidy. 

Segments

Ludwig Göransson Interview Setup
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(00:00:20)
  • Key Takeaway: Ludwig Göransson was introduced as the person who knows Ryan Coogler best and provides a question for the interview.
  • Summary: Amy Poehler welcomes listeners to the episode of Good Hang with Amy Poehler featuring Ryan Coogler. She introduces Ludwig Göransson, a preeminent composer and record producer who has collaborated with Coogler since USC. Göransson’s role is to provide a question for the main interview segment.
Meeting and Early Collaboration
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(00:03:36)
  • Key Takeaway: Ryan Coogler and Ludwig Göransson met at USC around 2008, bonding initially over music, including Swedish artists.
  • Summary: Göransson recounts moving to LA and living near USC, feeling like he was in an American Pie movie. He first met Coogler at a party, noting Coogler’s long hair and football background. Their connection solidified through discussions about music, leading to Göransson scoring Coogler’s student film, Locks.
Musical Instruments in Coogler’s Films
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(00:06:44)
  • Key Takeaway: The guitar is central to the scores of Fruitvale Station and Sinners, reflecting Coogler’s family history with blues music.
  • Summary: Göransson identifies the guitar as the main instrument for Fruitvale Station because Coogler’s uncle loved blues guitar, a genre that also inspired Göransson’s father. For Black Panther, the talking drum, an analog communication device from West Africa, was used after Göransson recorded with musicians in Senegal.
Guitar Practice Check-in
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(00:10:16)
  • Key Takeaway: Ludwig Göransson asked Ryan Coogler to report on the status of his guitar playing, which Coogler admitted was not going well.
  • Summary: Göransson relayed a question for Coogler regarding his guitar skills, noting Coogler practiced daily while making Sinners. Coogler admitted he is currently terrible at the instrument, which pleased Göransson as it made him feel better about his own musical limitations.
Coogler’s Philosophy on Artistry
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(00:12:57)
  • Key Takeaway: Ryan Coogler believes artists should not limit possibilities and must consider the diverse backgrounds of the audience consuming mass entertainment.
  • Summary: Poehler praises Coogler for not limiting his artistic possibilities and for being influenced by many different things. Coogler explained that his position requires him to make things that work for people from many different circumstances while staying true to his own tastes.
Movie Theater Snack Memories
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(00:15:23)
  • Key Takeaway: Ryan Coogler experimented with weighing candy by weight in theaters and often smuggled peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
  • Summary: Coogler admitted to potentially smuggling PB&J sandwiches into theaters when funds were limited. He recalled a time when candy was sold by weight, leading him to conduct experiments to see which candies were lightest, like cotton candy.
Importance of Theatrical Experience
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(00:16:42)
  • Key Takeaway: The inability to pause a film in a theater forces the audience to surrender control and experience the emotional peaks collectively.
  • Summary: Coogler loves the egalitarian nature of theaters where diverse groups unify when a movie is great. He realized that streaming allows him to pause during overwhelming moments (too funny, too scary), but theaters mandate that the audience must surrender control and go with the film’s momentum.
Transformative Childhood Movie Viewings
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(00:19:35)
  • Key Takeaway: Ryan Coogler’s childhood movie experiences included Boys in the Hood, Beauty and the Beast, and a terrifying drive-in viewing of Jurassic Park.
  • Summary: Coogler cited Boys in the Hood and Malcolm X as transformative early viewings. The T-Rex scene in Jurassic Park at an Oakland drive-in, where he checked his side-view mirror against the film’s mirror shot, addicted him to the feeling of cinematic immersion.
Football Career and Major Switch
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(00:21:23)
  • Key Takeaway: Coogler played receiver in college, initially majoring in finance after his first school’s football program collapsed, while taking filmmaking classes on the side.
  • Summary: Coogler played receiver in college and did not worry about protecting his hands, even slamming them in car doors. After his first college’s football program folded, he transferred to Sacramento State, majored in finance to keep his scholarship, but continued taking filmmaking classes.
Zinzi Coogler’s Supportive Role
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(00:26:08)
  • Key Takeaway: Zinzi Coogler, whom Ryan met at age 13, was instrumental in honing his early screenplays by providing critical feedback before they were shared with industry partners.
  • Summary: Coogler emphasizes that his work is a communal effort, highlighting his wife Zinzi’s support since high school. She helped him hone his pitch and was the first reader of his scripts, pushing him to improve his writing before he could afford professional software like Final Draft.
Developing the Twins Concept for Sinners
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(00:32:30)
  • Key Takeaway: The concept of twins in Sinners was a sticky hook for Coogler due to his family having twins and his personal ‘crippling fear of doppelgangers.’
  • Summary: Coogler sought multiple hooks for the film, and the twins concept resonated personally. He consulted with filmmakers Noah and Logan Miller, twin brothers themselves, to deeply explore the dynamics of having a copy of oneself present.
Michael B. Jordan’s Performance and Character
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(00:34:48)
  • Key Takeaway: Michael B. Jordan’s performance in Sinners was brilliant, and his professionalism ensured a kind and safe set environment for everyone involved.
  • Summary: Coogler first saw Jordan’s talent in The Wire as Wallace. Working repeatedly with Jordan helps Coogler find a rhythm, similar to a receiver finding rhythm with a quarterback. Jordan treats all crew members with kindness, learning their names, which permeates the set positively.
Vampires vs. Zombies Appeal
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(00:39:00)
  • Key Takeaway: Vampires are inherently sexier than zombies, which is why Coogler preferred the horror element in Sinners over a zombie narrative.
  • Summary: The conversation touches on the appeal of vampires being sexy, contrasting them with unsexy zombies. Coogler revealed that Michael B. Jordan was initially quiet when pitched the vampire concept but eventually agreed to the project.
The Meaning of the Sinners Dance Scene
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(00:39:46)
  • Key Takeaway: The dancing scene in Sinners was written in italics as a stream-of-consciousness moment to represent a victory for the characters’ ancestors who invented American music.
  • Summary: The initial outline for the scene was simple, but Coogler felt he needed a moment of victory before the characters died. He realized the scene represented the transcendent power of the music invented by Black people in the 1930s, whose grandparents were enslaved, and wrote it in italics to signal its importance.
Chadwick Boseman’s On-Set Humor
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(00:44:43)
  • Key Takeaway: Chadwick Boseman maintained a deep sense of humor and frequently teased his castmates, often while staying in character’s accent on the Black Panther set.
  • Summary: Boseman was deeply funny, constantly cracking jokes and teasing costars like Lupita Nyong’o and Danai Gurira, even while maintaining the accent required for his role. Coogler and the cast often laughed about the elaborate costumes and props.
Lesson Learned from Boseman’s Passing
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(00:47:08)
  • Key Takeaway: Chadwick Boseman taught Ryan Coogler the critical lesson of being present in the moment, preventing Coogler from being overwhelmed by stress or imposter syndrome.
  • Summary: Boseman once pulled Coogler aside during Black Panther production to stop him from saying he would get fired, assuring him he was protected. This act taught Coogler the importance of being present, a lesson Coogler applies now to fully appreciate successes like the Sinners press tour.
Influential Comedies and Current Laughs
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(00:57:37)
  • Key Takeaway: Ryan Coogler cites Coming to America and The Other Guys as highly influential comedic films, with much of his current humor derived from the internet.
  • Summary: Coogler’s favorite childhood comedy is Coming to America, and he also loves Friday. He considers The Other Guys an underrated, stupidly fun movie directed by Adam McKay. He also enjoys Michael B. Jordan’s dark, David Lynch-esque sketches on SNL.
Appreciation for Comedy
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(00:58:36)
  • Key Takeaway: Comedy, encompassing both scripted and improvised work, is considered by one participant to be the highest level of creative endeavor.
  • Summary: The participants express mutual respect for comedic talent, viewing the ability to succeed across scripted and improvised formats as a mark of high skill. One speaker specifically mentions enjoying the work of ‘Mike’ on SNL. This segment highlights the high regard held for comedic performance within the creative industry context of the Good Hang with Amy Poehler episode featuring Ryan Coogler.
SNL State Farm Sketch Analysis
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(00:59:07)
  • Key Takeaway: A specific SNL sketch featuring ‘Jake from State Farm’ is described as evolving from a commercial parody into a dark narrative resembling a David Lynch film where the character replaces the original man’s life.
  • Summary: The sketch involves Mike portraying Jake from State Farm, whose character takes over the life of the man he is supposed to be insuring. The narrative darkens significantly, showing Jake interacting intimately with the man’s wife and child, becoming the man’s ‘worst nightmare.’ This detailed description reveals a specific piece of comedy appreciated by the guest.
Gratitude and Wrap-Up
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(01:00:38)
  • Key Takeaway: The host expresses deep gratitude to Ryan Coogler for taking time out of his busy schedule to appear on the Good Hang with Amy Poehler episode.
  • Summary: The host acknowledges the guest’s busy schedule and emphasizes how much his appearance means to her and the production team. Both parties exchange thanks for the conversation, which covered films and the guest’s love for them.
Amy Poehler’s Wall Posters
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(01:01:05)
  • Key Takeaway: Amy Poehler reveals that her childhood bedroom walls featured posters of the band White Snake, a movie poster like Big Business, and she used to kiss Teen Beat posters of Sean Cassidy after applying lip balm.
  • Summary: This segment serves as a ‘polar plunge’ reveal, contrasting with the guest’s wall decor. The host shares specific, humorous details about her 80s pop culture influences, including an 80s motivational ‘hang in there’ poster. These personal anecdotes conclude the main content of the episode.