As we get closer to the end of the year, Ryan Coogler’s Sinners continues to be one of the biggest 2025 movie releases we can’t quit talking about. It's no wonder if you consider its near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score and our own rave Sinners review. Have you rewatched it yet? If you have, chances are you’ve also been wondering why Li Jun Li’s Grace let the vampires in, but thankfully the actress just answered why. SPOILERS ahead!
Why Did Grace Let The Vampires Into The Juke Joint?
As you must recall from Sinners, the characters inside the Juke Joint reach a level of safety from the vampires outside their door by the third act because they cannot enter the building unless they are invited in. However, Grace puts them all in danger when she decides to do so. In a new interview with Variety, Li shared that it was an aspect of the film she discussed a lot with writer/director Ryan Coogler. In her words:
I said, ‘Why is it that she has not considered anyone else’s lives before doing what she does?’ And he simply answered, ‘Because she’s a mother.’ There was no other explanation to it.
As you might recall, Grace makes the decision after the vampire leader Remmick threatens to kill her teen daughter, Lisa. At the time she invites them in, she’s acting on her motherly instincts and is somewhat blind to the fact that she’s putting the other people in the Juke Joint in danger. Li describes Grace’s move as “a morally questionable and controversial decision” that she knew would receive some heat from audiences, but after her discussion with Coogler, he did make one change.
The Moment Ryan Coogler Added To Give More “Context”To Grace’s Decision
Li Jun Li also revealed that Ryan Coogler ended up adding the dialogue where Grace argues with Smoke for not wanting to fight and wait for the night to end. As Li said:
That scene didn’t exist initially. And I talked to Ryan and said, ‘We need something there because she has very little to show for herself, and when she invites them in, she is going to be absolutely hated. I think we need to remind people a little bit about the context.
While I did question Grace’s choices in Sinners, after hearing about this behind-the-scenes information about the making of this moment, I not only understand the character more, I appreciate the decisions made for her. While I agree Grace’s choice isn’t the most logical, it also makes sense in the context of the movie why she makes it, and the conversations that happened between the actress and the filmmaker shows that they really put a lot of thought and care into each scene.
The movie is definitely worth a rewatch if you have only seen it once, because many of the scenes are even better on a second and third watch. While Grace’s actions led to more violence in Sinners, the movie also just wouldn’t have been as entertaining if they all just waited until morning and didn’t slay some vampires, you know?
