Ruth Carter shares advice she'd give her younger self

Academy Award-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter made history in January when she received an Oscar nomination for best costume design for Sinners.

Carter is already the most nominated Black woman in Oscar history with five nominations, and has won more awards than any other Black woman in Oscar history. But it's a distinction she says she didn't aim for when she was younger.

"I didn't set out to be a Black costume designer or anything like that. I set out to be a great costume designer, and I had such good support along the way," Carter told Good Morning America on Monday.

Carter likened being a world-class costume designer to being a top-tier athlete.

"There's a lot of training, a lot of preparation, a lot of study, a lot of research, a lot of sacrifice," Carter said, while noting, "When you love what you do, you never work a day in your life."

Carter won her first two Oscars in costume design for her work on the Black Panther series, helmed by filmmaker Ryan Coogler, with whom she teamed up again for his 2025 Oscar-nominated horror film Sinners.

"He's a maverick," Carter said of working with Coogler. "He is really a genius, and working with him and seeing his writing and hearing him talk about his passion, everything roots out of passion."

Carter said she feels "so lucky" for her career longevity and would thank her younger self for staying the course.

"I would thank her, and I would say, 'You listen to your voice,'" said Carter. "That's the advice I give to young people, to keep going and listen to that inner voice inside of you telling you that you want to do this, and you want to be good at it."

Carter said she plans wear one of her own designs to the 98th Academy Awards.

The 2026 Oscars will air March 15 on ABC and Hulu.

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