Meet the 20-Year-Old Breakout Star of “Sinners,” Miles Caton

Like his character Sammie, Caton’s family is very involved in church.

Caton’s grandfather Archbishop Eric Figueroa Sr. is a working pastor in the Pentecostal church, and his mother and aunt are both gospel singers.

Caton told Variety in April that he has been singing since he was 3 years old.

Caton has been building his career in music from a young age.

In 2017, a video of 11-year-old Caton singing Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good” went viral. Jay-Z later included a clip of the video at the start of his music video for “4:44,” the titular single of his 13th album.

A year later, at 12, Caton appeared on the third season of NBC’s “Little Big Shots,” a children’s talent show.

In 2019, the pre-teen sang during a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King on “The View” with Grammy-winning singer Yolanda Adams.

While still in high school, Caton joined H.E.R. as a background singer on her “Back of My Mind” tour in 2022. He also joined the singer while she supported Coldplay on their “Music of the Spheres” world tour.

As part of the show, Caton would perform H.E.R.’s “Best Part” single as a duet with the Grammy-winning singer. The newcomer told Variety this put him on the “Sinners” casting team’s radar.

“We got close — she became like a big sister to me — and she called me one day after we got back from tour, and she was like, ‘Bro, somebody was in the crowd watching you, and they want you to audition for this role. I think you’ll be dope,’ Caton said, referring to H.E.R.

After the tour, Caton returned to high school and graduated at 18 in 2023.

“Sinners” director Coogler told Variety they picked Caton after seeing audition tapes from around the world because of his “once in a lifetime voice.”

“He was just in the dark — like he didn’t turn his lights on. Something about that was, like, so intriguing,” the filmmaker said.

After getting the role, Caton had to learn how to play guitar, since his character Sammie is both a vocalist and a guitarist.

Caton told Vanity Fair he spent two months learning the instrument’s fundamentals before filming began. He received lessons from Randy Bowland, a Philadelphia-based guitarist who has worked with legendary artists like Sting and Luther Vandross.

Caton is building his career in film and music simultaneously.

He released a single “This Ain’t It” in 2023. He also cowrote an original song for “Sinners,” titled “Last Time (I Seen the Sun),” with Alice Smith and the film’s composer Ludwig Göransson.

“Before, my main thing was music and just being an artist. But now, having this under my belt, I feel like I don’t have to limit myself to just one thing. I feel like I can accomplish whatever I want to. So, I’m looking to get into some more acting roles.”

In the interview with Variety, Caton suggested he’d love to be cast in a Marvel film. Coogler also directed “Black Panther,” a standout film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.