Filmmaker Jordan Peele isn’t changing up his script.
The critically acclaimed director of “Get Out” and “Us” opened up about what it means to him to be able to cast black actors and actresses as the stars of his films.
“I don’t see myself casting a white dude as the lead in my movie,” Peele told the crowd during a seminar at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Los Angeles, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“Not that I don’t like white dudes,” he continued. “But I’ve seen that movie.”
Peele’s new movie “Us” set a record for original horror flicks by grossing $70.3 million during its opening weekend. The freaky film premiered last Friday and stars Lupita Nyong’o and Winston Duke.
The movie is the long-awaited follow-up to Peele’s directorial debut, “Get Out,” which stars Daniel Kaluuya and premiered in 2017.
“The way I look at it,” Peele told the audience, “I get to cast black people in my movies. I feel fortunate to be in this position where I can say to Universal, ‘I want to make a $20 million horror movie with a black family.’ And they say yes.”
“Get Out” was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars in 2018, while Peele was a finalist for Best Director. Kaluuya, meanwhile, was nominated for Best Actor at the award show.
Peele won the Oscar that year for Best Original Screenplay for “Get Out.”
“Us,” meanwhile, has a 95 percent fresh rating on the review website Rotten Tomatoes.
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