There are a number of recognizable faces in Jordan Peele's masterful horror film, Get Out. You likely know Allison Williams from her long-running role on HBO's Girls, and Catherine Keener from her turns in films like Being John Malkovich and The 40-Year-Old Virgin. But you may be less familiar with Get Out star Daniel Kaluuya. He leads the movie as Chris Washington, a Black man traveling to the affluent, suburban hometown of his white girlfriend, Rose Armitage (Williams). Once there, Chris begins to grow suspicious of Rose's over-exuberant parents. And without giving anything away, his fears are soon justified.
It's largely considered Kaluuya's breakout role, but chances are you've seen him before — especially if you're a fan of British television. According to IMDb, the North London native has been acting for over a decade, nabbing his first credited part in the 2006 film Shoot the Messenger. He comes from a background of writing and improv, having written his first play at just 9 years old. He told Interview that he's currently working on a film script about class and racial conflict in the British capital.
As a teen, Kaluuya shirked university for a writing gig on Skins, in which he also appeared in a recurring part as Posh Kenneth. According to Interview, he's still close with the cast. "Skins was like our uni," he told the outlet. "I'm tight with everyone from Skins because we had that special experience together. We always meet up, always go to dinner, always have Christmas dinner. Everyone's started having kids now and getting married, so we're all part of it."
After that, Kaluuya landed a starring role in the Olivier Award-nominated play Sucker Punch and stints in BBC series like Bellamy's People, Psychoville, and The Fades, before giving a noteworthy performance as Bing in Black Mirror episode "Fifteen Million Merits."
Outside of his career, Kaluuya keeps a rather low profile. But he's been open in interviews about why Get Out struck such a personal note. In response to a controversial comment from Samuel L. Jackson that made headlines in March, he told GQ:
"When I'm around Black people I'm made to feel 'other' because I'm dark-skinned. I've had to wrestle with that, with people going 'You're too Black.' Then I come to America and they say, 'You're not Black enough.' I go to Uganda, I can't speak the language. In India, I'm Black. In the Black community, I'm dark-skinned. In America, I'm British."
Kaluuya hasn't done much press outside of Get Out, and, understandably, those discussions have been focused on the movie's skillful depiction of racism. But you'll likely be hearing more from Kaluuya in the future, as he already has several new projects lined up. He's attached to the much-anticipated superhero flick Black Panther as well as the Steve McQueen heist movie Widows alongside Elizabeth Debicki, Viola Davis, Liam Neeson, and others.
