Jordan Peele on ‘Nope’ and drawing inspiration from real life: ‘The world gives me awfulness to interpret’ [WATCH]
“Most UFO stories or things you hear have cows going up. The idea of horses — which have a majesty to them, which have a beauty to them, and have a reference to Wild West and the Hollywood lie of the Wild West — was so loaded,” explains Jordan Peele (“Nope”) about deconstructing Western tropes in his new film. Watch his red carpet chat with our sister site Variety above.
“Nope” is Peele’s third horror film, following his feature directorial debut “Get Out” (2017) and his critically acclaimed followup “Us” (2019). It tells the story of the residents of a gulch in California who discover something uncanny. It reunites him with Daniel Kaluuya, who earned his first Oscar nomination for “Get Out” (he won just three years later for “Judas and the Black Messiah“). It also features Oscar nominee Steven Yeun (“Minari“) and Emmy winner Keke Palmer.
Peele too enjoyed awards success for “Get Out,” becoming the first Black filmmaker to be nominated for writing, directing, and producing at the Oscars in the same year. He also became the first Black writer to win Best Original Screenplay. “Us” didn’t quite make it to the Oscars, but star Lupita Nyong’o was nominated for Critics Choice and SAG Awards for her performance, which also won her Best Actress from the Gold Derby Film Awards.
Whatever comes of “Nope,” though, and whatever the audience’s interpretation of its themes, Peele doesn’t much mind how the film is enjoyed. “We tried to make a big summer blockbuster that you can enjoy whatever way you want,” he says, whether that means you “smoke a big blunt” and “talk to your friend about some societal issues,” or if you just want to “relax” and “see Keke Palmer in the midst of a UFO, then that’s what we got for you.” And in terms of potential socially conscious thrillers to come, he has no shortage of inspiration: “The world gives me awfulness to interpret.”
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