28/02/2024
Due to the success of the film "Get Out" (2017), Jordan Peele became the first African-American writer, producer, and director to earn more than $100 million in a debut film.
Peele was inspired to write this movie in part by Eddie Murphy's 1983 HBO special "Eddie Murphy: Delirious." Murphy joked about horror films, including "Poltergeist" (1982) and "The Amityville Horror" (1979), and asked why white people stay when there is a ghost in the house. Murphy joked that if a Black man being shown around a beautiful house heard a ghost whisper, "Get out," he would immediately tell his wife, "Too bad we can't stay, baby!" Peele repeated Murphy's joke on the DVD commentary of this film.
Known mainly for his comedic career, Peele's turn for the horror genre had surprised many people. He proclaimed, "The reason I made it a horror film is that it's my favorite genre." He went on to state, "I actually started wanting to make a horror thriller, and in asking myself what that would look like, eventually I got to what 'Get Out' is, which is, in many ways, my greatest fears on film."
Daniel Kaluuya was given the lead role on the spot after nailing his audition. Peele said Kaluuya did about five takes of a key scene, in which his character needs to cry, and each was so perfect that the single tear came down at the exact same time for each take.
In mid-October 2017, Jordan Peele surprised students at a UCLA class called "Sunken Place: Racism, Survival, and Black Horror Aesthetic," a course created after the success and popularity of this film. With the help of Tananarive Due, a college professor at UCLA, Peele secretly sat in the last row as class was in session. Professor Due asked the question, "What do you think the director was trying to say about the coveting of black bodies?" to which Peele raised his hand, much to the surprise and joy of the class once they recognized him. The students gave him thunderous applause and a standing ovation as he went to the front of the class, and Peele ended up teaching the students. The moment was briefly captured and shared on Twitter. (IMDb)
Happy Birthday, Jordan Peele!