The key to a new Peele
Black-and-white horror humour avoids grey area
Jordan Peele and Keegan- Michael Key signalled the end of their five-season Key & Peele comedy collaboration with their movie Keanu last year.
Now Peel is returning to the spotlight as firsttime director and writer of the horror-comedy Get Out. In it, an African-American man (Daniel Kaluuya) meets the parents of his Caucasion girlfriend (Allison Williams) at their family estate. That’s when things get horribly weird in an urban Twilight Zone-meets-The Stepford Wives kind of way. The 37-year-old Peele talks about his film during an interview in Los Angeles. Q Why do a genre movie for your directorial debut?
A A great horror film for me is a such a powerful thing. Even in my comedy I’ve always had a dark sensibility. I guess there’s a psychopath floating around in my brain. Q Was it challenging to mix the comedy and the terror?
A Every little choice in the movie has some deeper meaning for me or a satirical reference of what it means to be black or white, and the notions of what we think it is. Q Was casting the two leads key? A Oh yeah. That was really important. It took a while but I loved Daniel (Kaluuya) in Black Mirror. And Allison ( Williams) as Marnie in the series Girls is the great jumping off point for her Get Out character, who is a privileged but sassy city girl. Q Some of the white stereotyping is exaggerated. True? A Yeah, but I do poke fun at various black clichés, as well. Q Are you encouraging audience participation with Get Out?
A Absolutely. This is about crafting a movie that satisfies the seasoned horror veteran as well as somebody who hasn’t necessarily fallen in love with the genre like I have. I want to get them involved. Q How involved? A When it comes to the payback violence I wanted to make sure the violence gets some cheers. Q The timing might be right for something like Get Out. Do you agree?
A Part of the problem is when we discuss race in the U.S. these days it seems to be such a feeling of defensiveness. I’m hoping Get Out injects a little bit of relief in that conversation and shows that we don’t always have to take ourselves so seriously. Q Do you have any plans to return to comedy as a performer? A I’m not a fan of my comedy. It’s like hearing my voice on a recording. I never like it. Q Will directing be your future? A I like directing. With directing, I can sit back and enjoy everybody else’s work, and that’s what I’d like to keep doing.