The Big Picture

Wunmi Mosaku returns to Collider Ladies Night for the BritBox series
Passenger
!
During her second Ladies Night conversation with Collider’s Perri Nemiroff, Mosaku talks about coming to learn that her presence in film and television matters.
She also discusses being #1 on the call sheet for the very first time on a TV series, and highlights other #1s who set a great example for her, including
Loki
’s Tom Hiddleston.

I first became aware of Wunmi Mosaku at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Her feature, His House, premiered there and not only was the film itself exquisite, but Mosaku herself was a top-tier interview, brimming with passion and enthusiasm for her craft. From that point on, I’ve made it a priority to seek out Mosaku’s past work and keep up with all of her new releases, and it’s paid off big time.

Since His House’s release on Netflix, Mosaku became a scene-stealer in Lovecraft Country, she joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe via Loki, she did her first voice performance for the acclaimed animated series Scavengers Reign, and now, for the very first time, she’s at the top of the call sheet for a series, ITV’s Passenger, which is now available to stream on BritBox.

Mosaku leads as Riya, a former Metropolitan Police officer who decides to relocate to the tiny town of Chadder Vale to care for her mother-in-law. After the one-two punch of a gruesome discovery and a strange disappearance, Riya becomes convinced that something isn’t quite right in Chadder Vale. However, her Chief Constable, Linda (Jo Hartley), refuses to entertain any of Riya’s theories. She’s far too focused on maintaining the town’s reputation and winning Best Kept Village. But is it all a facade? Are past troubles and recent unsettling events uncovering the sinister truth of Chadder Vale? Riya is determined to find out.

With all six episodes of Passenger Season 1 now available to stream on BritBox, Mosaku took the time to make her second appearance on Collider Ladies Night. After recapping many key credits during her last Ladies Night interview, this time around, the focus fell heavily on her growing voice and presence in film and television, and how she aims to use them.

The First Time Wunmi Mosaku Deeply Loved a Character
“I Am Slave was the first time I really felt the power of being honest and telling your truth.”
Image via Channel 4

While focusing on some of Mosaku’s earliest credits, I asked for the film that taught her the most about what she valued most in the stories she’d go on to tell. She went straight to I Am Slave, directed by Gabriel Range. Released in 2010, the movie is based on the real experiences of Mende Nazer, a Sudanese author who was abducted as a child and sold into slavery in Sudan. At 18, she was taken to London where she was subjected to more inhumane treatment before managing to escape.

Here’s what Mosaku said when discussing what a massive impression that particular project made on her:

“I would say the first character that I loved was Malia in
I Am Slave
. It was based on a real book, and I feel like my mind was kind of blown reading that book and realizing that this was real. Someone lived through this. And meeting Perri Nemiroff Mende [Nazer] after we shot it. I feel like
that script was probably the first thing where I really saw how important storytelling and being brave and being honest about your experience was
, and how that’s going to impact other people who are reading or watching, and that it mattered.”

The experience of making I Am Slave heavily reshaped how Mosaku processed art, both as an artist herself and as a viewer.

“I think before then, I thought with art, the joy was joyous, and I felt like the tears were kind of a way to feel
my
thing, whatever I was too scared to feel in the moment. So I would love to go see a play or watch something that made me cry because it was my way of releasing without really going in. And then,

I Am Slave
was the first time I really felt the power of being honest and telling your truth
, and just the breadth of human love, forgiveness, pain, all of it. I guess that would be the turning point for me in what art can do.”

Shedding the “Little Old Me” Mentality
Mosaku is one of the most exciting creative forces in film and television.

At this point, Mosaku’s impact on film, television, theater, and beyond is undeniable, but she insists, “I don’t think I came into this industry with the idea of having a meaningful voice at all. That would have been the furthest thing from my mind.” Even after amassing a wildly impressive filmography, Mosaku still struggles with having a “little old me” mentality. Here’s how she put it:

“
I still feel like I struggle with the idea of having a meaningful voice in the industry because I’m just me, right?
I always say, ‘Little old me,’ but I know I need to stop doing that because everyone’s actions matter. It doesn’t matter if it’s on a screen or if it’s on the street, your actions towards your fellow humans matter, and they will have an impact.”

When Mosaku first entered this industry, she wasn’t even sure there was a place for her in it. She explained:

“I came in, literally, I used to say, ‘I want to be the most demanded Shakespearean actress in the theater!’ That was my goal.
I didn’t even see a role for me in TV and film and Hollywood.
Everyone I know and love, it blows their minds that I live in LA because that was the furthest from what I went into this with.”

Even though Mosaku is here and she’s proving to be quite a force in Hollywood, she still wrestles with the idea of having a meaningful voice in this space because, simply put, she just wants to act. Nowadays, having a “meaningful voice” is often heavily tied to one’s social media presence. Mosaku admitted, “That’s not something I ever thought I would have to do as an actor.” But, that certainly hasn’t stopped her from having a great and impactful presence in this business, and beyond.

“I struggle with it because I just want to act. I just want to tell good stories and read good stories and be on a set and be in a cast and be on a stage. I think one thing that I realized, my presence in this industry really matters because I didn’t foresee my career being like this. Not that it’s
exceptional
or whatever, but
I didn’t think this dark-skinned, tall, curvy Black woman was going to be playing opposite Michael B. Jordan one day
. I’m really grateful that it’s not even always about your voice, it’s about your presence, and so someone who feels like ‘little old me’ can be like, ‘Oh, wow, this is possible.’ They might want to be an actor, but they might want to be a human rights lawyer. Every room you’re in, it matters. Every choice you make matters, whether or not you’re on the screen. If you inspire someone, if you show kindness to someone, that is what matters. If you elevate someone’s voice like Mende Nazer’s, if that is part of your purpose, your gift, then that’s amazing. But I did not go into it thinking, ‘I need my voice to be heard.’
I’m just really glad that my presence and the projects I’ve been in have inspired people
and things.”

Being #1 on the Call Sheet of a Series for the Very First Time
After working with many A+ leads, Passenger marks Mosaku’s first headlining role in a series.

8:57 Related Wunmi Mosaku’s Mystery-Filled Series ‘Passenger’ Wastes Zero Potential – “Everything Has Meaning” Andy Buchan, Wunmi Mosaku, and Barry Sloane discuss the pitch-perfect dialogue and exploring their characters’ journeys.

Narrowing it down to Passenger, Mosaku strove to be a source of inspiration for every single member of the show’s cast and crew.

Mosaku’s played significant roles in a wide variety of projects, including some of the biggest franchises out there, like the MCU. But, Passenger marks the very first time Mosaku’s name is at the top of the call sheet of a series. Not only is headlining a series a massive acting challenge, but the position also extends beyond that. An actor at the top of the call sheet can heavily influence the working environment on set. Fortunately for Mosaku, she’s crossed paths with many stellar #1s who put her on a very promising path in that respect:

“
Tom Hiddleston knows everybody’s name, cast and crew.
He says good morning to everyone, he always comes with the best energy. I’ve never seen him come in with a bad energy. Never. I’ve been really, really lucky because I feel like most of my leads have been like that.
Sope Dirisu, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman
— sweet, everyone was so sweet —
Michael B. Jordan
, just good energy. And I loved that it wasn’t just like, ‘This is what I’m doing for my film or my TV series.’ It was like, ‘Okay, guys, this is the energy of the scene.’ I don’t know what a quarterback is [laughs], but I imagine it’s like what a quarterback does. Like the team captain, but the team captain going, ‘Okay, this is the scene.’ Tom would play music or something and go, ‘This is the energy of the scene!’ I’m like, ‘You go through all of the scenes and find a song that’s the right energy and keep us in the moment?’”

Mosaku then ran through her personal priorities for being a leader on the set of Passenger, and her list is further proof that she should be headlining more shows.

“I really wanted to make sure that I was welcoming, a safe place, encouraging. And then also, as a Black woman, always feeling like ‘little old me, little old me,’ trying to remember that I had a right to be there.
Some people will feel like ‘little old me’ and not feel comfortable to speak up if anything was wrong, and I wanted everyone to know that I will be your advocate.
If there’s anything wrong, you can talk to me and I will be your advocate. Really trying to find that grounded, connected to the earth, you are meant to be here, and there’s a purpose, and even if the purpose is just to make sure that if someone’s first day on set is on one of
my
sets, that they feel like their voice is heard. That was something I really wanted to make sure I did. It was part of my growth, as well, to stop saying ‘little old me.’ I’m really trying to get out of that ‘little old me’ mentality.”

The Beautiful Reason Mosaku Is Especially Proud of ‘Passenger’
Image via ITV

Not only did Mosaku rise to the occasion as a leader on the production and deliver a phenomenal performance, but she also made a major leap on a deeply personal level.

“
I haven’t told anyone this, but I was pregnant, and I’m really proud that I got through that shoot.
I’m really proud. It was very hard. I enjoyed it, and I felt like I stepped into a strength that I had never really explored before. I tried to get rid of the ‘little old me’ mentality, and I really feel really proud. I feel like I did myself justice and didn’t sell myself short. I feel like I became a woman. I feel like I found the beginnings of the strength of that journey I’m on as a leader and now as a mother. I feel like it was a foundational part of who I am today and what I think I’m capable of today, as well.”

Looking for even more from Mosaku on her journey in the industry thus far and her experience making Passenger, including her Season 2 theories? Be sure to catch our full conversation in the video at the top of this article!

Release Date March 24, 2024 Cast Wunmi Mosaku , Rowan Robinson , Barry Sloane , David Threlfall , Daniel Ryan , Natalie Gavin , Hubert Hanowicz , Jack James Ryan , Matilda Freeman , Ella Bruccoleri , Arian Nik , Jo Hartley , Debbie Rush , Nico Mirallegro , Sean Gilder , Shervin Alenabi Main Genre Mystery Seasons 1 Creator(s) Andrew Buchan Expand

Passenger Season 1 is available to stream on BritBox.

Watch Here