Standing on stage at London’s Royal Festival Hall at this year’s British Academy Film and Television Awards, emotions flowed for British actress Wunmi Mosaku as she made history.
Accepting the award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Hoodoo priestess Annie in the vampire horror film Sinners, Nigerian-born Wunmi became the first black British actress to receive the prestigious award.
© GettyWunmi, 39, who grew up in Manchester and trained at Rada, beat nominees including Hamnet’s Emily Watson and One Battle After Another’s Teyana Taylor to win the BAFTA. She is also is nominated for an Academy Award for the role, and the critically acclaimed movie is nominated for a record breaking 16 Oscars.
The star gave an eloquent and inspirational speech thanking her daughter for being her "greatest teacher". Of Sinners she said: "I found a part of myself in Annie, a part of my hopes, my ancestral power and connection, parts I thought I had lost or tried to dim as an immigrant trying to fit in."
Wunmi also thanked her teachers, telling them: “To all my teachers along the way. Wynn Moran, Rob Faulkner, Tom Wells and Bill Gaskill, thank you for guiding me.”
Wunmi's ascent to the top
Wynn Moran, who taught Wunmi A-Level Drama at Manchester's Xaverian Sixth Form College alongside her colleague Robert Faulkner, has kept in touch with the actress for over 20 years.
HELLO! spoke exclusively to her former teacher Wynn, who says of her huge win: "It was pure delight to witness Wunmi receiving her BAFTA. She looked sensational and spoke so eloquently, even taking time to mention us both. We feel deeply honoured by her loyalty and love.”
© GettyWynn is full of pride for Wunmi as she heads to the Oscars on 15 March. "I congratulated her on the Oscar nomination," she reveals. “She texted back the same day and said thanks."
She says of Wunmi as a young actress: "She was a great team worker, whichever cast she was in. She was generous and could suggest routes that people might take. She listened to others - that was really her skill, and I think it must still be."
Wynn adds that it was not just drama that Wunmi excelled at: "Her maths teacher thought she was utterly brilliant, and she could have taken a science route, possibly be a doctor, but she loved drama so much that thankfully she stayed with us."
© GettyEarly talent
Wyn saw Wunmi's talent early on. "We made a film called The Women of Troy and very fittingly, Wunmi was Helen of Troy. She was the most beautiful, graceful, focused actress. She looked great on screen. We realised it was something special." She adds: "The key thing is, we're not so important; it's the college that gave her the future."
Growing up on a housing estate in the Manchester suburb of Chorlton, Wunmi dreamt of becoming a film star. Her family emigrated from Nigeria to the UK when she was aged one, and as a child, she’d watch her favourite film Annie every day after school.
© GettyNow living in Los Angeles with her husband, talent manager and producer Tash Moseley, and expecting their second child this spring (their daughter was born in 2024), Wunmi has spoken of her rise to fame and her family’s unwavering support.
Manchester beginnings
"I just feel so grateful for their support but especially my mum,” she has said. "She let me explore and take my own risks."
"First of all, it costs money and we didn't have a lot of money and she said she gave me my £30 cheque so I could audition for Rada. I got paid £3.50 for the Megabus down for my audition and she let me go to London to do that."
Appearing on The Graham Norton Show, Wunmi explained how Annie star Albert Finney inspired her acting journey. She only knew about drama school after discovering that Albert - who grew up in the Salford area of Manchester (Salford) - studied at Rada. She said: "That's the first time I ever heard of drama school, so I auditioned for Rada and got in. It changed my whole life. I will love that film forever."
© Getty Images for BAFTASoon came a series of theatre roles. Wynn recalls: "We went to see her at the Royal Court and the Almeida Theater, and after that things really started to take off."
Wunmi’s 2016 portrayal of Gloria Taylor, the mother of Damilola who was murdered in 2000 in the TV film Damilola, Our Loved Boy won her a BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actress. That was when "everybody suddenly recognised her beauty and her talent," says Wynn. Wunmi also had roles in the TV series Moses Jones, Vera and Luther.
A source tells Best Quality Designer Handbag : "I met Wunmi in 2017, the year that she won her first TV Bafta. Warm and intelligent, it was clear then that she was passionate about her acting career and I'm thrilled to see her shine so bright."
Hollywood called
Hollywood beckoned and Wunmi landed the role of Hunter B-15 in Marvel's hit series Loki and the 2024 film Deadpool & Wolverine . Now gaining recognition for her role in Sinners, it seems serendipitous that Wunmi's character is named Annie, given how the film Annie inspired her love of the craft.
Wynn enthuses: "Xaverian College is so proud and elevated by Wunmi's richly deserved success." He adds: "Her role in Sinners displays how her many talents have burgeoned to the point of her being Oscar nominated. It’s so gratifying to see that she has maintained her ability to work generously with others and to take on any new role creatively."
Reacting to her Oscar nomination, Wunmi posted on Instagram: "It's sinking in, slowly but surely! I'm an Academy Award nominee!" She said: "We all poured our hearts and souls into #Sinners and now it's the most nominated film in the Academy's history! I can't believe I'm part of such a legacy!"
Will Wynn be watching her former student on Oscars night? "Absolutely!" he says.
