Jordan Peele made waves for casting Black actors as the leads in his first two films, Get Out and Us. But if you thought he was going to let up, he’s here to tell you he won’t.
The Hollywood Reporter captured Peele’s statement when he talked with a rapt audience as part of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater conversation series.
“The way I look at it, I get to cast Black people in my movies,” he said. “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.”
“I don’t see myself casting a white dude as the lead in my movie. Not that I don’t like white dudes…But I’ve seen that movie,” he said. “It really is one of the best, greatest pieces of this story, is feeling like we are in this time–a renaissance has happened and proved the myths about representation in the industry are false.”
Since its March 22 opening, Us has broken many records, including becoming the third-biggest horror film opening of all time, the second highest opening original horror film, the best weekend for an original R-rated film and the second-biggest opening of 2019. The film also had the biggest opening weekend for a film led by a Black woman.
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Photo by Brian Stukes/Getty Images
