Daniel Kaluuya says they ‘went for it’ on ‘Nope’: ‘This is a F-cking Action Film!’
Kaluuya reunited with Jordan Peele for another horror film which is heading to theaters this month.
Daniel Kaluuya is just getting started. The Academy Award-winning actor is the star of what is set to be one of the biggest films of the year: Jordan Peele’s “Nope.”
In a recent cover story for The Hollywood Reporter, the actor opened up about his journey in Hollywood so far, working with collaborators like Peele and KeKe Palmer and how he went “full Bruce Willis” for the upcoming film.
“It was more [about] working with Jordan,” he continued. “Coming back and doing this with him. We had a lot of conversations building up to the shoot, and when I got to the set, I was like, ‘Oh shit, this is a f-cking action film. Holy shit.’”
“The most daring thing to do is go for it, [so] let’s do Bruce Willis then. Let’s go for this shit. I really care about original films and original content, and to even be making a film like this with Keke Palmer as a lead, me as a lead, Jordan as a director on this level of budget and it be original — it’s so important that this film connects,” he continued.
“Nope” isn’t Kaluuya’s first collaboration with Peele. The actor starred in Peele’s hit 2017 horror film “Get Out,” which earned him his first Oscar nomination for Best Actor.
While you would think this would cause added pressure for both the actor and filmmaker to have a perfect reunion, Kaluuya said he felt the opposite. “I don’t take the pressure. I like accomplishing the goals that we’ve set,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.
Kaluuya said that this time in his career is the “end of a chapter,” which started with “Get Out” of course. Since that film, Kaluuya has been selective about his projects. He subsequently worked on “Widows” and “Judas and the Black Messiah,” the latter for which he won an Oscar.
“‘Get Out’ happened and it’s just been nonstop,” he explained to the outlet. “Even though I don’t feel like I’ve been projecting that. But it has been nonstop in terms of the amount of films I’ve done, the amount of press I’ve done, and all the writing and producing I’ve done underneath. It’s just been consistently on the go, and I feel like you have to rethink certain things.”
He added, “This is the point where I rethink certain things. What makes me happy? What’s exciting? What excites me? What will excite the audience? And it could be the same trajectory that I’m on, but I’ve got to make sure it’s that.”
To read the full feature with Kaluuya, head over to The Hollywood Reporter here.
“Nope” comes to theaters on July 22.
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