Directed by Ryan Coogler, “Sinners” took cinemas by storm in 2025 with its shocking story of racial tension and vampires in 1930s Mississippi, and our own review called it “Coogler’s most ambitious movie yet.” Headlined by Michael B. Jordan, the film boasted a star-studded cast that also included fellow MCU vet Hailee Steinfeld. And one shocking line in particular, uttered by Steinfeld’s character, has proven troublesome when dealing with fans — who perversely repeat the line back to her during in-person interactions.

The line in question relates to, how shall we say, an aggressive sexual act performed on her character, which can make it understandably uncomfortable when a fan repeats it back to the actor, even if it’s all in good fun. “There have been a couple moments … people like to bring up certain lines in the movie, especially that one,” Steinfeld noted when chatting with Variety about the film. “That’s always … yeah, awkward.” It might be especially awkward for Steinfeld, who works in an industry where women must too often fight for respect and equal treatment. But she made sure to temper her criticism of fans, while acknowledging that it becomes problematic fast. 

“I respect and appreciate [fans], but I know what the line is,” Steinfeld said. “You don’t have to tell me. Especially when someone nearby isn’t in the know, it can get weird fast.” Still, that line isn’t the one thing about “Sinners” that Steinfeld found gross. 

“Sinners” is one of the most controversial movies of 2025, and you might think that Steinfeld would have seen it coming. In some ways, she did. “When I read a script, there’s always a scene or two that you dog-ear or red-circle,” Steinfeld told Variety. But it wasn’t just the aggressive nature of the dialogue or the blatant sexual overtones. Instead, the actor had concerns that if they shot that scene too early in production, it might not work, as she had hoped to develop a rapport with star Michael B. Jordan before filming that dialogue. Alas, that’s not how it played out. “Sure enough, we shot it first,” Steinfeld recounted. And it was all due to the weather.

“We were filming in New Orleans during hurricane season, so everything got moved around.” That move meant that the scene in question — which was initially planned to shoot later on — got pushed up. “It was the first thing Michael [B. Jordan] and I shot together.” Surprisingly, perhaps, the scene actually worked being filmed first. “By then, our characters had lived some of the memories we refer to in the film. It was almost like we did it in reverse, but in a great way.”

As good as the scene was, however, Steinfeld still didn’t realize what she was about to film, and the impact it would later have. “I definitely didn’t expect that line — or any of Mary’s lines — to explode the way they did. But there it is.”