Usually in Hollywood (and out, to be honest), when someone tells you that you’re their “muse,” that can go one of two ways: either astonishingly well or tragically wrong. In the case of Jordan Peele and Daniel Kaluuya, however, that sentiment just might ring true in a positive way after all.
You see, in a new interview with Empire Magazine, Peele revealed that during the middle of filming Get Out, he decided that his working relationship with Kaluuya would be akin to that of iconic director Martin Scorsese and legendary actor Robert De Niro (film buffs don’t need me to explain how high of a caliber that comparison is).
“It’s so funny, but by the point I was in the middle of [shooting] Get Out, that’s what I was telling him,” Peele explained per Complex. “I was like [makes serious eye contact], ‘You’re my De Niro, man. You’re my De Niro.’ I was like, ‘I need you to be in the future ones too, man!’ You could just tell what we had in him as a performer, from the very beginning.” (I know that’s right, Jordan. Big up your bruv! He definitely continues to be one to watch with every project.)
He later added, “We do have a bond. The first big movie he was a lead in, and my directorial debut, was Get Out. And we bonded because we went through that together. In the beginning of that, it feels like two people who have faith in each other, then by the end, it all works. So I just couldn’t wait to further that relationship and explore a completely new character with Daniel.”
That new character will soon be taking center stage when NOPE hits theaters later this month. As previously reported by The Root, the forthcoming (creepy AF) film centers around the residents of a lonely gulch in inland California who bear witness to an uncanny and chilling discovery. Kaluuya will be joined by Keke Palmer, who plays his sister, with the two serving as the only Black ranch owners who train horses for Hollywood. But when a mysterious cloud appears over their land, the pair come up with a plan to get the first real footage of aliens.
NOPE is set to be released on July 22. Get Out and Peele’s second film, Us is available to stream now.