YouTube Clip of The Sinners Movie "I Lied To You" Performance & An Article Excerpt & Selected Comments About Why The Sinners Movie Has That Title

Sinners | I Lied To You Song | Movie Clip | Warner Bros. Entertainment

Warner Bros. Entertainment, Jun 24, 2025  #sinnersmovie #michaelbjordan #oscars

Oscar Winning Best Screenplay, Original Score, Cinematography, and Best Actor winner Michael B. Jordan. Sinners song "I Lied To You,” performed live by Miles Caton as Sammie. The Sinners Movie Clip shows the raw, emotional blues track that channels the character’s longing, defiance, and dream of escape. Look for the horror adventure movie on digital.

Written by Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig Göransson, two award-winning multi-hyphenates, “I Lied To You” was filmed and recorded over several days on set, capturing the energy of a live juke joint crowd. It marks Sammie’s breakout as an artist and reflects on the film’s deep connection to the cultural roots and legacy of the blues.

From Ryan Coogler—director of “Black Panther” and “Creed”—and starring Michael B. Jordan comes a new vision of fear: “Sinners.” Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers (Jordan) return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back. “You keep dancing with the devil, one day he’s gonna follow you home.”

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojsms post showcases a YouTube video of the clip of "I Lied To You" performance from the 2025 Sinners movies . That post also presents information about why this movie has the title "Sinners".

The content of this post is presented for socio-cultural and entertainment only.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Ryan Coogler, Director of Sinners. Thanks also to Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig Göransson, the writers of "I Lied To You" and all those who are associated with that award winning movie. Thanks also to Haniyah P. for her 2025 grio.com article about why that movie is named "Sinners".and thanks to commenters from a reddit.com discussion thread on that title of that movie. 

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ARTICLE EXCERPT: "Ryan Coogler talks the Delta Blues, spirituality and why his latest film is titled ‘Sinners’: ‘It’s a term of judgment, but it’s welcoming as well"

From https:// /2025/04/17/ryan-coogler-talks-the-delta-blues-spirituality-and-why-his-latest-film-is-titled-sinners-its-a-term-of-judgment-but-its-welcoming-as-well/ by Haniyah P, Apr 17, 2025

"Beyond the vampires and sex appeal of Michael B. Jordan, Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” spotlights spirituality, music and Black folklore.

“This Good Friday, everyone is talking about the highly anticipated release of Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan’s latest film, “Sinners.” Now, before you grab your Bible and start clutching your pearls at the thought of a horror movie with the title “Sinners,” hear me out.

The horror film, which chronicles what happens when vampires take over Clarksdale, Mississippi, in 1932, is filled with nuanced conversations about culture, religion, spirituality, and music. During a phone interview with Ryan Coogler, theGrio got a glimpse into the “Sinners” creator’s mind and how he managed to showcase the dissonant harmony of these themes.

“We ended up with ‘Sinners’ and in hindsight I think it’s the only title we ever could have,” Coogler told TheGrio, revealing that the film existed under the code name “Grilled Cheese” before getting its official title. “It has to do with that relationship that Delta Blues has with its kinda like twin sibling, gospel music.”

“Blues music was the first American music to be referenced as the devil’s music,” he continued. “That judgment of the practitioners of the music and folks who engage in the culture around it is at the heart of this movie. That conversation and acknowledgement that we all are [sinners] and if you point the finger at somebody calling them a sinner, you also have to point the finger back to yourself.”

For Coogler, who was raised in the Baptist church, attended a predominantly Black Catholic school growing up, and studied various religions throughout college, exploring the supernatural quality of Delta Blues music and the juxtaposition between spirituality and carnality through a diverse spiritual lens was important.

“[Religion] has always been something that has surrounded me in my life and a fascination of mine…people’s relationship with spirituality and it as a practice in which people choose to deal with the world,” he explained. “And it tends to be in my movies, too.”

In his fifth feature film, this fascination shows up through music–– a key part of the “Sinners” plot and creation. Inspired by his late Uncle James, who loved Delta Blues music, Coogler shared that he was inspired to make this film after studying the genre his uncle loved so much.   

“Where gospel music is made for the soul, Delta Blues music is made for the soul and the body–it acknowledges the flesh and all of the beauty and ugliness that comes with it.”

“The artists were known for embracing their flaws, their nightmares, their mortality, and their carnal desires,” he continued. “Some of these songs talk about being haunted by crimes committed, by a lifestyle, by demons, the devil, or visions of an untimely death.”

Listening to artists like Robert Johnson, Howlin’ Wolf, and a playlist full of Delta Blues music, Coogler noticed how these themes evolved into modern-day genres like in Bone Thugs-N-Harmony’s “The Crossroads.” 

“[I] realized that they’re not the first people to make a song called ‘Crossroads,’” he said, referring to his favorite ’90s rap songs. “That’s one of the most popular songs sung in the Delta Blues tradition, as a concept and [reference] to the entryway from the natural to the supernatural, life and death and crossing over.”

“All these things: the supernatural and my love of horror fiction made me think it would make sense to implement these elements into how these characters from [1932 Mississippi] encounter the supernatural,” he added”….

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SELECTED COMMENTS FROM A REDDIT.COM DISCUSSION THREAD ABOUT THE SINNERS MOVIE

[Numbers are added for referencing purposes only and may not correspond to the numbers in that reddit discussion thread. All of these comments were published in January and February 2026.]

https://www.reddit.com/r/SinnersbyRyanCoogler/comments/1qvx251/why_is_it_called_sinners/

1. JazzlikeHat9469
"Why is it called Sinners?

I had a thought while watching this movie for the third time. Why is it called Sinners?

I love when title cards are used to tell the story, and I think I know. The film starts with Annie’s VO talking about how “there are legends of those who can play music so pure…etc. in Ireland they were called Filí, firekeepers in Choctaw, griots in west Africa. Their music can heal their communities, but also attracts evil.” Then the title card - Sinners. Which made me think “ah, so in ancient Ireland, Choctaw land, and west Africa, they were called these various things, and then in 1930s Mississippi, they are called sinners.”

I’m also thinking about the ending, and tracking vampire genealogy. Stack and Mary are vampires, and were turned by Remmick. Remmick was alive in ancient Ireland, and was presumably turned at a similar party where a Filí was playing. That vampire was probably from west Africa or something, and was at a party where a griot was playing. Evoking Africa makes this relationship between vampires and music, community, etc. feel older and older - they’ve been with us for a looonng time… probably going back to biblical Eden. and the ORIGINAL SIN of eve eating the fruit, tempted by the devil, presented in the bible as a serpent (remember that snake in the truck, everyone?).

Stay with me for this, what if the serpent “bit” eve, making the first vampire, and she turned adam, beginning this chain of vampires that continues to this day in stack and Mary. All stemming from what we now call “sin.” Presumably they will follow Remmicks example, they’re going to stick around until they find another musician of Sammie’s caliber so that Stack can see Smoke again, since he can’t die naturally and see him like how smoke saw Annie and his daughter again.

I’m not religious, but I love thinking about the movie with this religious imagery in mind. This movie is so f--king* good."
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*This word is fully spelled out in this comment.

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2. WertherEffekt
"Ryan Coogler talks the Delta Blues, spirituality and why his latest film is titled ‘Sinners’: ‘It’s a term of judgment, but it’s welcoming as well’ -thegrio.com

https:// /2025/04/17/ryan-coogler-talks-the-delta-blues-spirituality-and-why-his-latest-film-is-titled-sinners-its-a-term-of-judgment-but-its-welcoming-as-well/ By Haniyah P, Apr 17, 2025...

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3. Ykindasus
"Smoke and Stack are career criminals who worked for both the Irish and Italian mobs in Chicago.

Sammie's father is a preacher who puts down Sammie's love of the Blues as sinful.

And Remmick.... I don't think I have to spell it out lol."

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4. ImpactNext1283
"They’re all Sinners. Blues, generally speaking, is a musical form for and about Sinners. Drinking, gambling, screwing, all sins. Only Sammie’s dad isn’t, and he’s the least likable character in the movie."

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5. momstheuniverse
"Because of the music.

At one point, Ray Charles was accused of making "devil's music" what does Sammy's father do?

There's also, in my opinion, strong references to The Color Purple where Shug is ostracized by her father who's a pastor, for choosing to be a singer.

As an adult she reunites with her father and while hugging him says, "See, Daddy? Even sinners have a soul too."

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6.mrwrrrmwrmrmrmrw
"The twins made their fortunes working as pimps for Al Capone."

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7. [deleted]
"Well…. Stealing from Al Capone"

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8. TheDesertedRose
"smoking gambling drinking adultery prostitution (mentioned by the twins) thievery secular music and wanton violence. if someone wanted to also include Hoodoo as well from a religious view, then you could also include Annie. But also again from a religious view these are all sins, making each character in some way a sinner"

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9. Dweller201
"It the beginning, some older character said that playing blues music is attractive to evil, or something like that. So, the young guy better watch out with playing that music.

The whole movie is basically about how attractive blues music is. The club is trying to keep it contained but they can't because the vampires want to get in on it.

Maybe that?!"

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Comments About The Character Mary In The Movie "Sinners" & Comments About Other Fictional Characters Who 'Passed For White'

Alex Beightol, May 2, 2025
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Total # of views as of May 14, 2025 at 9:08 AM EST - 158,667

Total # of comments as of May 14, 2025 at 9:08 AM EST - 1,563
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WARNING- This showcase vlog and many of that vlog's discussion thread comments (including some that are quoted below in this pancocojams' post) include spoilers for the movie Sinners (i.e. information about the plot of that movie.)
 
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Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams posts showcases a YouTube vlog hosted by Alex Beightol about the fictional character Mary, a White passing woman in Ryan Coogler's 2025 hit movie Sinners. That vlog and its discussion thread focus on Mary passing for White in the 1930s United States South. Vlogger Alex Bightol also discusses the fact that- like the fictional character Mary she portrays- actress Hailee Steinfeld has a multiracial family ancestry. Also, like Mary, Hailee Steinfeld physically looks like a White woman. In that YouTube vlog Alex Bightol discusses the subjects of the "one drop of Black blood" law, "passing for White", "White passing", and "white presenting" in Ryan Coogler's Sinners movie.

In addition, this pancocojams post features selected comments from the discussion thread* of Alex Bightol's vlog in which commenters share their personal experiences with those subjects and share the names of additional American movies, books, television shows etc. that revolve around those subjects.

As background to those selected comments, this pancocojams post includes information about the movie Sinners as well as the United States' definitions of racial terms that inform fictional works and refer to real life experiences in historical and present day United States.   

*That showcased vlog's discussion thread also includes numerous comments from people (mostly in the United States)'s real life experiences of  family members passing for White, and/or their real life experiences of White passing and/or being White presenting. However, while I highly recommend reading those comments, that sub-section of comments from that vlog's discussion thread aren't included in this pancocojams post's compilation.)

The content of this pancocojams post is presented for historical, socio-cultural, and educational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Ryan Coogler, Hailee Steinfeld and all those who are associated with the movie Sinners. Thanks to Alex Beightol, the host of the YouTube vlog that is embedded in this pancocojams post. Also, thanks to all those who are quoted in this pancocojams post.  

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A lot of commenters in this discussion thread shared their personal experiences being White passing or being a part of families with White passing members.  This discussion thread is recommended reading for those who want to learn more about this subject.

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DEFINITIONS OF CERTAIN TERMS USED IN THESE FEATURED COMMENTS
These are my wording for these terms (gleaned from various online sources)

Definition #1- the "one drop of Black blood" rule: a term in the United States that stipulates that any known African black ancestry makes a person Black no matter how that person looks or how long ago they descended from a person of Black ancestry. 

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Definition #2- "Passing for White": a term that refers to the actions and/or results of a person who physically appears to be White and chooses to permanently or temporarily cross over into the White race and live as a White person. 

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Definition #3 - "White passing": a  referent for a person of color (POC), who choses to passes for White [read definition #2]

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Definition #4 - "White presenting": a referent for a person of color who appears to be White to other people but does not deny their biracial or multiracial background and doesn't permanently or temporarily pass for White (read definition #1).
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Read comment #36 below for similar meanings for definitions #2, #3, and #4  .

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INFORMATION ABOUT RYAN COOGLER'S MOVIE "SINNERS"
from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinners_(2025_film [retriieved on May 14, 2025]
"Sinners is a 2025 American musical horror film[4][5][6] produced, written, and directed by Ryan Coogler.[7] Set in 1932 in the Mississippi Delta, the film stars Michael B. Jordan in dual roles as twin brothers who return to their hometown to start again, only to be confronted by a supernatural evil. The film co-stars Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, Jack O'Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Omar Miller, and Delroy Lindo.

[...]

Sinners was theatrically released in the United States on April 18, 2025 by Warner Bros. Pictures.[8] Critics praised Coogler's direction, Göransson's score, and the cast performances, and the film has grossed over $287 million worldwide, becoming the fifth highest-grossing film of 2025."...

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SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THE DISCUSSION THREAD FOR THIS EMBEDDED VLOG
This is only a small sample of the comments on the subject of  the one drop of Black blood" rule, "passing for White", "White passing" and "White presenting" that are found in the discussion thread for Alex Beightol's vlog episode entitled "Hailee Steinfield's Blackness" which is embedded in this pancocojams' post.

As a reminder, some of these comments contain spoilers about Ryan Coogle's movie Sinners

These comments are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.

All of these comments are from May 2, 2025- May 14, 2025. 

1. @jessicaruby1ify
"Stellar video. You explained Hailey's role perfectly. I hope more people see your video. So that when they see the movie, they'll realize that this isn't just a vampire movie;  instead, this is a historical film. It's a very sad one, too. Thank you for the upload. 😊 "

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2. @jlane03
"Thank you for making this video and explaining it so well. I think there were so many people who don't understand her character (and I can tell by all the people saying she should have been played by Zendaya or Jurnee Smollett) or even the concept of passing in that time period"

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3. @malcolmcarstafhnur832
"This is the most nuanced handling of Mary's character yet. AWESOME Job. I feel as though some people have never heard of passing before. Passing, Passe' Blanche...these are a part of our survival story just as much as anything else"

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4. @haniyyahn
"Keep in mind that Mary did not materialize out of thin air. However,  pale her people were they lived among other Black people, went to school and church with them, etc. They were Black in their small communities where Black and white people know your family and lineage and white anywhere no one knows them like this. And yes on the spiritual death - she is suffering because she is not the person she is pretending to be and her pretending causes constant anxiety for that reason and also because if she slips up she is in real danger. So, a heavy toll on the individual, not just the community. There were also levels of passinng. Many people who could pass did so only when white people assumerd it or when outside of their communities- as to get jobs they coukd not otherwise or the way Mary tried to use it to help darker relatives (keep in mind often that person was the only one in their family who could pass). I dont think she was the group's undoing. I think Grace was. Mary was only interested in (biting) Stack."

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5. @khalicamoore9512
"The moment she started talking to Stacks, I was like, "Oh sh-t* she's kin." meaning she is black also. I spent my teen years in PA , which operated similar to how the video described the South at that time. I knew a lot of passing latinos and black people and it was always weird how they would interact ,but most worked like a double agent. They would tell the poc who is really part of the kkk, who is racist, and all the f-ed up stuff they would say when we were in the room. However, for most of them, they had relatives in the school and would hear these horrific things they would say about poc some would have their cover blown and directly face social punishments and even lose educational things like their grades and opportunities.  It's really horrific and it's something we don't talk about enough. I loved her character because it really showed the ups and downs of passing"
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*This word is fully spelled out in this comment.

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6. "She is not black, what is wrong with you"

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7. @khalicamoore9512
"@fs6688  1. In the movie, she is a black woman. She is white passing ,meaning that to white people, they see her as white even though legally and blood wise she isn't white. An example is Keanu Reeves, David Gallagher, Bella Thorne,and Mariah Carey. Most white passing people have a percentage of white blood( for lack of better wording). However, this isn't the case for all as it can be based off looks.

2. Hailey Steinfield (the actress) is considered black in the US because any drop of black blood ( around 1/8 or more) is considered to be a black person in the US. This was an actual supreme court case, and it still holds today. So even outside of the movie, she is just considered a white passing black person. Not only is her mother Filipino but her grandfather is black and Filipino which again makes her a white passing afro Filipino"

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8. @A-Oh-Trey
"Ooh, great analysis. Makes me realize just how intentional Coogler was in having Hailee's character be the one who ends up giving the vampires an in to invade the juke joint. Mary, who tries to use her ability to pass in order to bring opportunity back, but ends up losing her humanity in the process."

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9. @coraggio93
"Fascinating. Instead of casting a white actor, like in the 1950's version of "Imitation of Life", Ryan Coogler cast an actor who has a mixed race grandfather. Good for Ryan Coogler."

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10. @ASocialMediaConsumer
"Imitation of Life, Queenie, Beloved, Their Eyes Were Watching God, The Wedding, Belle, and several others... this trope is not new. In fact, it is common in "black" stort-telling. Not to diminish the reality of the one drop rule... but versions of this character have been on screen since the very early days of movie making."

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11. @lenan5913
"That's true but I think those movies were indies. This is a blockbuster and has wider reach. Plus it's the first time the actor and character have both been "passing". They usually choose someone unambiguously white or black to play the character"

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12. @Kind_kelpie1989
"@lenan5913 I take your point but it’s not the first time they’ve cast “passing” people in this role. Wentworth Miller and Ruth Nega come to mind but yes, they were not in block buster films."

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13. @across75man75
"Imitation of life, was a huge hit from a major studio in the 50s."

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16. @astralyeti
"where was it in their eyes were watching God?"

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17. @ASocialMediaConsumer
"@astralyeti  The main character Jaine. She remains in the "blk community," but her appearance and racial background garnered attention (wanted and unwanted) that reflect experiences tied to "one drop"."

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18. @Vanipollonia1
"Don't forget the movies "Passing", "The Feast of All Saints", "A House Divided", "Pinky", "Show Boat", "Lost Boundaries", "Band of Angels", "I Passed for White", "Illusions", "Devil in a Blue Dress", "A Family Thing", "The Human Stain", the character of Allan Willis on the TV show "The Jeffersons", the episode "Libertyville" on the TV show "Cold Case", & the episode "Blood" on the TV show "Law & Order"."

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19. @cheriebenjamin0315
"Belle the young lady was not White passing or even close. She was just biracial and in the context of Sinners’ Mary, not the same. The Wedding was about an  interracial couple very different. Not about being white passing. Imitation of Life is the closest to touching on it and even to this day people are still confused as to whether Sarah Jane’s daddy was white or white passing despite it being explained in the dialogue. Queenie touched on it somewhat but it wasn’t a major focal point of the film. In Their Eyes Were Watching God I don’t recollect that at all being a focal point or even in the movie. The only thing you can factor into that is it starred Halle Berry who we all know her mother is white.

Also why are we calling it a trope when it’s a factor if the black experience? Or do the factors of the black experience in all its parts only matter if the people are darker complexions?

If we’re going to tell the stories we have to tell them all and can’t cherry pick. That kind of thing is what can lead those who have black heritage but are white presenting to perhaps not want to mention it and feel shut out but then when a large collection of black folks find out about that persons heritage they want to be angry as to why the person didn’t speak on it."

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20. @Vanipollonia1
"@ Regarding "Imitation of Life", in the book it is mentioned that Sarah Jane's father is White but, in the movie, he is described as "practically White". This is because the decency laws that dictated what Hollywood could & could not portray in their movies could not showcase that Sarah Jane was a first-generation biracial person of an interracial couple. Therefore, the movie changed her father's race to White-passing. And in "The Wedding", the Shelby character was White-passing in the book, but Halle Berry played her in the movie."

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21. @SuperSonicBaroque
"Don’t forget PINKIE!"

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22. @moriahadams7895
"⁠@lenan5913  I see your point, but I did want to point out that in the original version of Imitation of Life, the passing character is played by Fredi Washington (a white passing black woman who lived openly as black, and used her privilege to bring attention to the state of black people at the time). Since she was a black actress that actually could pass for white, and was living in a time where it was still common to do so, it made the role feel a bit more raw and believable. I love both versions of the film, but honestly believe the original is the better of the two, and worth a watch if you haven’t seen it."

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23. @Waterfallcreationsevents
"Immigration of life broke me when I watched and it pissed me off so much"

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24. @wysesoserious
"Facts"

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25. "@fabrisseterbrugghe8567
"Julie in Showboat was probably one of the first to have this discussed as part of her character"

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26. @Vanipollonia1
"@fabrisseterbrugghe8567  Thanks for bringing up "Showboat" & Julie. What's interesting is that the character of Julie could have been played by Lena Horne, but Ava Gardner acquired the role. Ava even thought it was strange that she got the role & not Lena."

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27. @AfriasporaFilms
"Thank you for posting this. Many miss the entire complexity of Mary’s character because they dismiss her as being white when as you pointed out she clearly was not. Steinfield’s own background is an even greater layer of authenticity."

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28. @jacklyneverage3881
"Thank you for this video! Because folks got on my nerves who reviewed this film and just misidentified her, didn't understand her character, blamed her for the vampires getting in."

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29. @kathiaserrano7740
"Thank you for the insight. They’re so many people watching this movie through a modern day lens and it’s messing up their view of the film. Race relations and culture were different back then."

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30. @anitamuhammad3968
"With this explanation, which is beautiful, it made me think of the point or name of the movie- (we are all) sinners”."

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31. @bishoptl
"Excellent video. I knew Hailee's background before heading into this movie, so I suspected what her role might be, and as soon as it was made clear what her connection to the larger group was, I felt oddly satisfied to be proven correct. The 'one-drop' rule, physical attributes of blackness vs whiteness, passing - all of these aspects of our culture and the wider power structures at large affect all of us every day. Black and white. Thanks for taking the time to break this down for an audience that may not have that knowledge. Earned a new subscriber here."

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32. @NishiNish5678
"Loved this breakdown because there's a Mary in just about every community. I was confused as to why other people were confused"

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33. @triplelife5147
"I think it's a combination of people not knowing their history and a recent movement to gatekeep Blackness. There's a lot of foolishness online nowadays."

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34. @cliffordrose4335

"There is honestly no other actresses of equal appeal to the mainstream audience that Ryan Coogler could submit to WarnerMedia for approval and get the landslide of $90 million he received.  Haillie Steinfield's character "Mary* is an octaroon in the 1930's Mississippi Delta.  She is perfectly cast for this role in age and appearance and her abilities are Academy Award certified as no other actress of her echelon is.  If she chooses to do more Black roles in the future outside of the Ryan Coogler universe then I for one am.alk for it . . . SHUT UP & TAKE MY 💰💵!!!"

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35. @SimplyBeingTT
"How sad that some have missed the point of there being three representations of black women in a movie of this caliber.  A ground-breaking film that has made history and that is already a classic!

Thank you for breaking this down for people that need a history lesson, and whose lack of  knowledge are coercing uneducated commentary regarding the characters of Annie and Mary. 🖤👊🏽🤎"

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36. @oldmama8929
"There seems to be a bit of confusion about white, white passing and white presenting. White means there is no PoC heritage in your near ancestry.  About two great grandparents . White passing is having PoC near ancestry and  being fair enough to 'pass' as white and live a white person,  as a 'conscious choice'. White presenting is being fair enough that society 'thinks' you are white, but you have made the choice to live in the PoC community as one of its members. Both choices were frought with danger at the time."

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37. @kevkeisha
"Finding people that take issue with Steinfeld's role is equivalent to a pebble in the ocean. There is significantly more praise for her role and the movie than dissenting viewpoints. Why give those dissenting perspectives any energy at all?

To answer my own question, I assume it's because negativity (especially racism) draws more views..."

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38. @abaetol [Alex Beightol, the host of this embedded vlog]
"There are buckets of those pebbles on my TT and in the comments of Instagram, where people were wondering with genuine curiosity what her role represented. That role, and its history, touches a nerve that people do not understand. That history and on going negotiation within our community, is a hot topic that people are starving to discuss. The energy evident in my video is to the super fascinating history and the way it shapes social tensions. But, if you think you have sufficiently answered your own question, ignore the many comments, views, and ways Hailee’s casting has sparked conversation. You are free to believe and assume the worst."

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39. @Hypegreene05
"This is why i was irritated by people on the internet taking about not letting Mary to the cookout. Mary's situation is not unheard of. She saw herself as a part of the community, and in truth, she was. She put herself at risk to save those she loved and saw as family. She's not at fault for what happened."

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40. @tiff6323
"I have been saying this since I have seen the movie. I hate that she is getting so much hate for playing a character she fits. Mary and Hailee would of been killed in the 1930s for having that African American blood in them and trying to pass for white. I'm not understanding why it's hard to understand. Folks need to read more to learn our history."

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41. @sxt4447
"My confusion is with everyone else’s confusion. I’ve known she was a quarter Blasian since she was in True Grit. She never hid her ancestry. Y’all just didn’t know her or pay attention to her before this movie."

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42. @dobbyinagluetrap
"Honestly don't know how people missed this. It seemed obvious when she first interacted with Stack in the train station - they obviously had more complex history than a simple fling. Then they literally state her background at the jute joint. The movie TELLS audiences clear as day."

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43. @nomdeguerre247
"She's not black either so...what's your point?"

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44. @kimbralina3000
"Yes she has black ancestry but she's STILL white, at the time she would be classed as something different but is still white."

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45. @loadishstone
"@kimbralina3000  My god why are you being purposely obtuse? The Racial Integrity Act of 1924 literally existed. Mary is black specifically BECAUSE the time and place she was in was the hypodescent south. Did you just not watch the video even?"

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46. @Shadowyartsdirty3
"​@dobbyinagluetrap unfortunately some audience members are resistant to the acquisition of intellectual and nuance. Hence some of the comments of people saying but "shes not black despite", despite it literally being explained she's Philipino black."

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47. @Ray03595
"She’s white lol. Folks just google what her parents look like. They are white people, having a small percentage of non-European ancestry doesn’t change that"

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48. @Ray03595
"@Shadowyartsdirty3 she’s not black. She has black ancestry."

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49. @AfriasporaFilms
"@  And in the history of this country that black ancestry was enough to make her black. Black was and still is a term of INCLUSIVITY. But really we are talking about the character Mary in the context of the 1930s, NOT the actress today."

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50. @G-uu9yf
"@Ray03595 the CHARACTER in 1930s…"

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51. @zoejnobaptiste3332
"@Ray03595  you must be slow. This person is referring to the character of Mary, not Hailey herself. The character existing in the 1930's is socially and historically black regardless of her 'passing'. Everyone knows the actress is white. Why are you fighting ppl commenting on the character and ignoring the entire context of the movie? The entire video was dedicated to explaining this but you're here arguing and missing the point. Hailey is white, yes. Mary, the fictional character in the 1930's vampire movie is considered black and white passing."

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52. @sunii4264
"She Black, And, She knows she Black. 1 drop makes them uncomfortable, in the train station scene,by her proximity, she was boarding the Colored section of the train. The South has a long memory & Mary wasn't testing it.

Stack has Mary pass to protect the lives of THEIR WHOLE community; she moved to a whole other state to not endanger her loved ones , lest she offend folk that looked like her & mess their lives up. She was one of many!💜💯"

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53. @roxywyndham
"All that makes sense for the movie but we are not in a one drop system and her “one drop” doesn’t make her Black in 2025."

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54. @nopenallnull
"Clock it!"

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55. @imo.124
"Nope!"

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56. @G-uu9yf
"She doesn’t claim to be black."

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57. @troy511
"Exactly people should understand this. Just like how white people of different ethnicities ie. Italians were considered not white back then but today they are considered white. Race is a part of a system and is a social construct that is always changing. The one drop rule doesn't exist today."

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58. @roxywyndham
"@G-uu9yfshe’s not the one claiming it. It’s weirdo Black people that still follow the one drop rule."

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59. @G-uu9yf
"@roxywyndham  idk I wouldn’t call them weirdos. It was the law of this land for a long time, and continued as part of the social fabric of the country. Most post-slavery and post-colonial countries have some sort of racial classification system. People aren’t weird for adhering to them once they’ve become part of culture. Traveling to different parts of South America, the Caribbean, and Africa, I’ve heard people classify me as so many things (I’m East African). I don’t really care. But I don’t think it’s dumb. It’s just history."

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60. @desixox
"She’s white, with black in her. But don’t try to erase black people. Black people can have white in them - but they’re black. She has black in her, but this is a white woman."

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61. @Theemultidimensionalgoddess
"🎯🎯🎯🎯"

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62. @bebeade71
"Are we talking about Hailee or Mary? Hailee yes she is White or Multiracial bc of her Black, White, and the Filipino heritage but Mary would've been considered a colored in the movie."

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63. @sebolai-dd4wo
"@bebeade71   hailee doesnt even look colored....she is whyte...whats wrong with being whyte?? did i miss something?"

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64. @vgibbs12
"Y’all beating the hell out of this horse…let it go it isn’t that deep. 30 years ago when Jennifer Beals had a similar role in Devil in blue dress it was relevant but now it’s like whatever. Btw fyi Jennifer Beals dad is black in real life so…"

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65. @brklynrox
"The more things change the more they stay the same. I remember Jennifer Beals in Devil in a Blue Dress. They asked why was she in that role until she hipped them to her history. Rebecca Hall just directed Passing not too long ago."

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66. @vw3575
"She looks like the lady who played the ungrateful daughter Sarah Jane in the classic movie "imitation of life". I googled her today after movie n showed it to everyone n they freaked out. I understood the assignment"

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67. @CitanulsPumpkin
"In the Buffy the Vampire Slayer spinoff "Angel" there's one specific episode full of flashbacks to the cold war red menace McCarthyism era.

The episode is basically an adaptation of the Hitchcock movie Psycho. Except they took the human serial killer and all the transphobia and replaced it with a paranoia demon who turned the residents of a Los Angeles hotel into a lynch mob.

One of the pivotal scenes is when the main character is talking to a woman who just moved into the hotel. She is a carbon copy of the female lead from the movie Psycho. A former bank employee on the run after walking out of the bank with a duffelbag stuffed with fifty thousand dollars. Except she's not one of the blonde haired blue-eyed swimsuit models Hitchcock put in all his movies. She looks pretty much like Hallie Stienfeld as far as skin tone goes, and she has to explain to the main character, a hundred something year old white male European vampire, what "passing for white" means.

The self-involved melodramatic vampire had to have racism explained to him. He's all like, "Oh yeah, that racism thing you humans do. I never got into that. I was too busy having sex with other vampires on top of piles of dead and dying nuns. So anyway, you were telling me you got fired because your bank found out you weren't white enough. That's rough."

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68. @jazmonmctear3705
"Just watched Feast of All Saints and that's a great film to review for the understanding of the levels and politics of skin tone within the black community and how prejudice and colorism affects our multimelanated families worldwide"

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69. @theflashfan3234
"You did such a great job succinctly explaining real world historical complexities and nuances and how they inform the characters and themes of the movie, yet STILL people in the comments are trying to do their best job to be intentionally obtuse and being mad for no reason 🤦‍♂️"

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70. @AshleighE2589
"If people are getting upset then they clearly don’t know the history. People like Mary exist lol there’s nothing confusing about. I watch a lot of old black and white films. My mom got me into them when I was in high school. Prob way before then. I suggest people watch “Pinky” and “ imitation of life”. These two movies are exactly what you’re explaining in this video. Great movies about women passing as white for “better lives” "

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71. @mactrek2
"Interesting take. However,  you seem to have glossed over the fact that had Mary stayed in the Black community  her presence would have put the entire community in danger of being destroyed, as many were. Stax knew this and so did all the other Black people there. It never was just all about Mary.  Mary still moved as a privileged white woman in her insistence in being there."

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72. @hihi615
"I'm somewhat suprised to learn some people didn't know about the one drop rule or passing people. I thought this was common knowlege. But then again, many are quite ignorant when it comes to black history.  There were people like Homer Plessy who changed history. Back in the day, i think if you were at least 1/8th, by law, and i think socially, you were black, as black as any other black american, with the same laws set against you, unless you hid it. This is why Mary gives the line "I didn't even wanna be white, I wanted to be with you" or something like that when she's yelling at Stack because he left her. 

My grandfather's mom was half white, and his dad was fully black (as "fully" as an african american can get anyway, most of us are not fully african in dna but thats for another time). My grandpa and his siblings all look passing if they simply straighten their hair. But never once did anyone think "they werent black" because they grew up in a black area and back then (at least where he lived) it was assumed if you were hanging around black people, you were black.

But my point is that a lot of passing black/mixed people back then went the other route, like Mary. Many lied about/hid their heritage and pretended to be completely white in hopes of a better life/opportunities. This is why sometimes you might see older american white ppl do DNA tests and find an usually large percentage of west african dna, because they probably had a parent or grandparent who was passing and never told anyone."

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73. @tessa63627
"She's like Jazmine Dubois from Boondocks.

There's even a movie about it (Imitation of Life, both the 1934 version and the 1959 version. The 1934 version features an actual passing black actress, and the version i grew up with. I've never seen the 1959 version though)."

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74. @iamkrohn
"NYTN (New York to Nashville) also explores a lot of these old racial constructs by exploring her own family tree. It is really interesting."
-snip-
"NYTN" is the name of a YouTube channel. 

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75. @MsTy2908
"Yes, the point is its ingrained in foundational black Americans history in American.. black passing was in Alex Halle Queen, abd highlights black passing in jim crow days after the civil war"

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76. @hayleyquinn15
"Thank you for this video. Some people are losing their minds over the casting but it makes sense to me. Thanks for the History lesson too! 👌🏽"

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77. @psimms5190
"I enjoyed your video on Mary, so thoughtfully done. Watching Sinners brought Lydia Maria Child’s The Quadroons to mind, and you captured that same complexity so well. You made it clear how deeply the political and social climate shaped those choices. And the backlash the actress faced was … awful. First for “taking a Black role,” then for “using her Blackness”? You handled all of that with such nuance. Great job Alex!"

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78. @joyc.e.7511
"I didn't know people were getting so heated about it. This is why I stay off most social media, people freak out and get upset about the reality of things."

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79. @Danheron2
"@joyc.e.7511  yeah, I read download Tik Tok to discuss this movies. I thought it was really cool and I didn’t know anyone who watched it and I was blown away by how many people didn’t know about people like Mary? It was hilarious. There is one woman who made a video defending her and was like I never thought I would say this, but a lot of you people are not qualified to talk about the history of racism 😂"

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80. @TeXXicJA
"PASSING by Nella Larsen and the movie Imitation of Life are just 2 works that show the heartbreak of this type of existence. So glad I was exposed to them at a young age"

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81. @lucysterling
"I haven’t seen this movie yet, though I do plan to because it looks amazing, so I didn’t know anything about her character. This is all super interesting to hear since we read Passing by Nella Larsen in one of my classes this past year. It adds a whole other layer into the things we talked about"

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