-Welcome to the show. -Thank you for having me.
Before we get into that very intense scene
from a very intense movie
that's getting a lot of intense buzz,
let's talk about your life.
How has it been, man?
What's it been like?
-You know? -In what way?
What do you mean, "in what way"?
In what way? What do you mean, "in what way"?
Daniel Kaluuya does his thing.
You know, he blew up in England, you did your thing.
We, like, a lot of people saw you break out in, um,
in-in, um... Help me-- th-the Netflix show--
-Come on. We all love it. The future. -Oh, Black Mirror.
-Black Mirror. Black Mirror. Right. Black Mirror. -Yeah.
Loved you in the episode running on the treadmill.
We all loved you. And then Get Out came...
-changed everything. -Yeah.
One of the greatest horror, slash, thriller,
slash, everythings we've ever seen.
And now black people don't go to white people's houses
and drink tea anymore.
-You shouldn't. You shouldn't. -(laughter)
-Changed everything. Right. -You shouldn't, no.
And you were nominated for an Oscar.
What's it been like since then?
Uh... (mimics explosion)
Put it like that. (laughs)
Uh, um, yeah. It's been weird.
Like, a lot of selfies. Um...
I don't know. I don't know.
It's-It's-- My life is going upside down.
-It's going upside down. -Right.
I-I used to get a bus.
I used to just chill out and just roll around.
And then so it's completely shifted.
Like, what I'm exposed to, and x, y, zed, and...
But what's amazing, uh, it hasn't changed the fact
that I just do what I believe in.
Do you know what I'm saying? It's like...
-Oh, that's interesting. -That's, um...
So when you say it's flipped upside down,
does it mean, like, you don't catch the bus anymore,
-now you drive the bus? -No. I literally was on a bus...
I was on a bus one time here, after Get Out came out here,
and then they were like-- some guy was just like,
"What are you doing here?"
(laughter)
I-I used to go there. I'm, like, going somewhere.
I'm going-- I'm going somewhere.
Yeah, but he's like, you're a movie star.
-What are you doing on a bus? -Yeah, but I was like,
where am I-- what-- how-- where am I--
-How am I supposed to get to, uh, Orange Street?
Yeah, but I also don't like the idea of you,
like, being in public transport
when you were in a movie like Get Out
because if I would see you somewhere
as an average citizen,
I would think I'm now in a horror movie.
-It would scare me. It would scare me. -Yeah.
I think you should just be, like,
rolling around in, like, Ubers and stuff.
Like, don't-- You can't just be in public transport.
-That's not cool. -Yeah. Th-that's what happened,
is, like, the reaction of people looking at me.
-Yeah, you freak people out. -Yeah. Yeah, I freak people out.
-"Oh, it's the horror." -Exactly.
-People scream when they see your face. -But it has been
an amazing journey for you. I mean, Get Out, Black Panther.
You've been in some of the biggest movies
that, you know, that we've been watching,
and now this film has come... is coming out.
-Queen & Slim. -Yeah.
And it is... it is such a gripping film.
I mean, that scene is what people see in the trailer.
-It's just the beginning of a journey -Yeah.
where you play a character who's going on a Tinder date
-that takes a really weird turn. -Yes.
I mean, Tinder dates often go weird.
-It's a jungle. -Right.
-Tinder is a jungle. -But-but, I mean, this is extreme.
Like, like, we-we saw that. It starts off with a cop
who's, like, you know, not handling a situation well.
Next thing you know, a gun goes off,
and then it's basically this new couple on the run,
-but they're not a couple. -They hate each other.
The date didn't go well.
-Right. It was a Tinder date. Yeah. -You know what I'm saying?
And that's what's so amazing. It's like...
It just shows the kind of...
They have to deal with each other
because they have to go on the run and survive.
-Right. -And then they-they throw their phones out.
It's like a metaphor. They throw their options away.
Do you know what I'm saying? And they have to kind of, like,
look at each other and see how... and connect
because they're having this experience together.
Well, if that incident didn't happen,
they would just go somewhere else
-and go elsewhere. -They would have just been like,
"That was a horrible date. I'm going home, and it's over."
-Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. -So, do you think
that's what we need to do
to get people to stay in relationships is...
-is have them... have them be part -Yeah.
-of a really heinous, like, incident in life? -Yeah.
-Extreme dating. -And then, like, it brings them...
-Extreme... -That-That's a TV show
-that's waiting to happen probably. -Right?
-We just get people together. -Yeah.
-And then just... We go like... -Kill somebody.
"The two of you have involved in somebody dying,
-and now you're happily married." -Yeah.
-Then that's it. -That's it.
-Yeah. You can't break up. -Have kids. Yeah.
That's a great show. We should co-executive produce that.
-That's what I'm trying to say. -That's a... that's a good show.
It-it does feel like you-you take on roles
that-that speak to really powerful issues
and-and ideas happening in society.
Because Queen & Slim is... It's...
This is the thing to explain to people.
It's a really fun movie, you know,
in-in the way that, like, we love watching movies.
Like, whether you're a fan of, like, Robert De Niro
in Heat or something or Thelma & Louise
or any movie with people on the run,
but at the same time, it feels like a comment
-on what's happening today. -Yeah.
Do you pick your movies based on that?
Are you... are you looking at a film role going,
"Oh, this speaks to society"?
Or are you just looking for great characters
-and a great story? -No, no.
Yeah, I made a decision a few years ago,
and I was like, "Oh, do I want to be a great singer,
or do I want to sing great songs?"
And then... So, then I was like, "I want to sing great songs."
And so then I was like, "Oh, I have to...
I have to be in the context."
I have to be in, like, in-- they call it the culture now--
I have to just be around and then listen to my friends,
listen to my people around me, listen to how they feel
-and what they complain about, what they... -Right, right.
And then... and then that's all...
I'm taking that in, and I'm living it, as well.
And so then when the script comes, goes,
"Oh, that will speak to this person and that person."
I know how they feel when they're watching that.
-That's interesting. -So, I'll go to the cinema.
I'll go watch Fast & Furious or...
And I'll go watch an art house film at the same time
or, like, with my friends,
and-and I really listen to how it made them feel.
And I want to make them feel good.
I want to make my friends feel good, so...
And the micro is the macro.
-Right. -You know what I'm trying to say?
-So it's a microcosm of the larger society. -Right.
If you're telling a... It seems like a story about two people.
-Yeah. -But it's a larger story
-about what's happening in society. -Yeah.
You know, we feel the humanity, and we understand
the complex ideas of what we're trying to tackle every day,
and we're dealing with it through one instance.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And seeing it
through our perspective. Do you know what I'm saying?
A-a black perspective, which is--
has a history of being dehumanized.
That's-that's one of the interesting things
that-that I think, you know, your-your rise in film
has also brought out, is-is how similar the stories
of the black experience are,
-regardless of where they happen in the world, you know? -Mm.
And for a long time, people have told stories.
They-they didn't even think of it as the white experience.
-They just said, "Oh, it's an experience." You know? -Yeah.
And then people started realizing, "Oh,
-"there are different stories to tell, -Yeah.
"and people are experiencing different things
around the world." You know?
Has it been surprising to you
as a-a black British person coming to America
and acting and realizing how many of the themes are similar
to what people are experiencing in Britain if they're black,
people are experiencing in South Africa if they're black?
'Cause the stories connect to everybody.
Yeah, because it's, um... it's similar dynamics.
It's not the same but it's similar dynamics.
So, like, I grew up on American--
African-American sitcoms. I was watching My Wife and Kids.
I was watching Diff'rent Strokes.
-I was watching Sister, Sister. That... -So was I.
Yeah. It reminded me-- Th--
I-I looked to the African-American experience
to see myself. That wasn't on British television in that way.
There was Desmond's, and there was, uh...
I can't remember the other show.
But there was-- there was a numerous amount
of, uh, black shows, a couple.
But it's-- The majority was from the African-American experience.
And I kn-- I saw it from the beginning.
I saw there was a connect-- there was connective tissue.
-Right, right, right. -And then, I think, with globalization--
And it's-it's funny, because Black Mirror is, like,
a metaphor for it. Because I did that in 2011,
and then it kind of came and went.
And then Netflix happened.
So then the world became smaller.
-Right. -So they would see this show
that we shot for two weeks outside of London
-in a room. -Yes.
They would see it and they would put it
in the same weight of Breaking Bad.
-It's side by side. Do you know what I'm saying? -Right, right.
And-and that's what's kind of-- kind of happened,
is that now, now, um,
it's almost like everyone's closer together.
Like, it's like London is now a state in itself.
There's such a wealth of creativity coming out of there.
-Yeah, yeah, yeah. -Coming out of there.
Well, it might become a state 'cause of Brexit.
-I mean, that makes complete sense. -I hope so. I hope so.
It could become a thing. Before I-- before I let you go,
the movie is really generating buzz.
You know, it's a powerful story. You know, Lena Waithe.
You know? And-and you've got Melina,
who's one of the-the best directors
-we've seen transition from, you know... -She's incredible.
Yeah, from creating amazing stories for Beyoncé
-to now, you know, um, feature films. -And Insecure.
Right. And Insecure, obviously.
Um, if somebody goes and watches this film,
what would you tell them to, like, try and-and focus on
when they're in the movie? 'Cause sometimes people
miss-miss ideas or themes in a film 'cause they watch a trailer
or they read a review beforehand.
But if you go, like, "Hey, man. When you go into this movie,
I want you to have, like, this state of mind?"
What would you want that-that state of mind to be?
Oh, that's a good question.
Um... Oh, man.
-Uh... -(laughs)
It's a good question, you know? Like-like, what can you say?
Uh, um, I kind of-- Just stay-- just stay open
and-and try and... (stammers)
try and understand why you don't know their names.
Oh, that's powerful. That's a good one.
That-- Now, you see, now-now, when everyone watches the movie,
we're gonna be like, "Try and understand
-why you don't know their names." -Yeah.
This was amazing, my dude. Thank you so much for coming
-on the show. I'm excited. -Thanks for having me, man.
-Cheers. -Queen & Slim will be in theaters November 27.
Daniel Kaluuya, everybody.