Stars of 'NOPE' Keke Palmer and Daniel Kaluuya talk about filming with 'diva' horses
Backstage with stars of 'NOPE' Keke Palmer and Daniel Kaluuya
Keke Palmer and Daniel Kaluuya, stars of Jordan Peele's new sci-fi thriller 'NOPE', chat with BackstageOL's Dave Morales about their experience filming and what it was like working with horses as their co-stars.
Keke Palmer and Daniel Kaluuya, stars of the new thriller NOPE, sit down with Dave Morales to talk about what filming was like and the funny moments they had working with a horse as their co-star.
The movie surrounds a sister and brother, played by Palmer and Kaluuya, that work as caretakers on a horse ranch in California whose lives get turned upside down when a mysterious force starts to affect everyone around them, including the animals.
Kaluuya reunited with director Jordan Peele for this movie after previously working with him on the film Get Out. He told Morales his reaction the first time he read the script for NOPE, saying, "I saw the ambition, I saw the goal and what he wanted, the aspiration, and I wanted to watch it."
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Palmer also held praise for the director who let them have freedom and improv with their characters.
"Jordan actually did let me improv a lot which is really cool. He kept bits and pieces here and there but what was written of the character Emerald was so much what I like to play with in terms of my comedic wheelhouse," said Palmer.
She added, "He had me in mind and it that was clear when I read it, but I just had fun with it, definitely in the comedy areas and as we got more serious and had to make some of those more difficult transitions"
It's about Family
Attempting to explain the plot of a Jordan Peele film can be hard, as the director is known for the shocking plot twists in his movies. Kaluuya tried his best however to describe the heart of the film without giving too much away.
"It’s about a brother and sister who have this ranch in Agua Dulce and trying to keep the ranch. It tells a story of this narrative between the two and how much they have each other’s back whilst this thing up in the sky is um…looking to I can’t even say that I’m bad at describing," joked Kaluuya.
The actor starts his explanation over by saying, "I just don’t want to spoil it but basically, it’s about spectacle and looking at how you get allured by something that doesn’t really want you as much as you want it."
Working with Divas
Palmer and Kaluuya aren’t the only stars of the film and working with a diva costar can be rough given the long hours and location shoots. Kaluuya shared a pleasant story of what it was like for him to act alongside his diva costars, the horses.
"They were divas, they like to leak whenever they want to leak. In the middle of the tape, they were like I’m gonna take it over there," said Kaluuya.
He also expressed how helpful his horse costar was in getting him through those hard scenes.
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"There was one time when I had to let Lucky (his horse in the film) go, and then I was like a really emotional scene, and I’m letting Lucky go and then Lucky just decided to [use the restroom]. It was a recorded take. I just had to wait there till he finished, and I’m like yeah I appreciate you too," Kaluuya laughed.
Over-the-top costars aside, Palmer described what made NOPE different from any other project she’s worked on in the past.
"Jordan makes the difference, his perspective, the things that he pulls from, and the way that he creates just a unique and fresh narrative from the character aspect to also the spectacle and just the creativity that it took to put into this new horror sci-fi adventure," noted Palmer.
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Palmer, having been a part of the industry for a long time, is excited to be a part of a film so big.
"The scale of it all, I’ve been in the industry for 20 years and this movie is huge, this is really what you call a summer blockbuster, I mean we filmed in Imax. It’s just exciting to be part of something new with a director and writer like Jordan Peele and Daniel, I really love working with Daniel."
NOPE starring Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer is now in theaters.
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