DEBUT, AFTER HE WAS PULLING
EARLIER THIS SEASON OVER COVID
CONCERNS.
>>> "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE" WAS A
REVOLUTIONARY COMEDY SKETCH SHOW
IN 1975 WHEN IT DEBUTED.
FOUR DECADES LATER, "KE
"KEY & PEELE" CAME ALONG.
KEEGAN-MICHAEL KEY AND HIS
FRIEND EARNED SUCCESS BY MAKING
SOCIAL COMMENTARY THROUGH THEIR
OUTRAGEOUS CHARACTERS.
PEELE WENT ON TO BECOME A FILM
DIRECTOR.
KEY FOUND HIS WAY BACK TO THE
DRAMATIC ACTING THAT HOOKED HIM
IN HIGH SCHOOL.
KEEGAN HAS A MOVIE MUSICAL OUT
NOW WITH ANOTHER COMING THIS
WEEK, AND WE CAUGHT UP WITH HIM
FOR A VIRTUAL SUNDAY SIT-DOWN
LITERALLY ON HIS LUNCH BREAK
WHILE HE SHOOTS A THIRD.
>> SURELY YOU KNOW WHO I AM.
>> YOU AND MERYL STREEP?
WHAT?
>> I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S
HAPPENING.
I STILL DON'T KNOW WHAT'S
HAPPENING.
I FEEL LIKE I ARRIVED.
>> LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED.
>> A DANCE WITH MERYL STREEP.
THE PERFECT FINALE TO A YEAR
FILLED WITH MUSIC FOR
KEEGAN-MICHAEL KEY.
>> I MEAN, PEOPLE WOULD PAY
PREMIUM PRICES FOR THAT
PERFORMANCE.
>> THE 49-YEAR-OLD STARS IN A
PAIR OF NETFLIX MUSICALS THIS
HOLIDAY SEASON, ALONGSIDE STREEP
AND AS A TOYMAKER'S EVIL
APPRENTICE IN "JINGLE JANGLE."
WITH A THIRD MUSICAL SERIES ON
THE WAY FOR APPLE TV PLUS.
YOU ARE SO BUSY, THEY SAID WE
CAN GRAB HIM AT LUNCH IN HIS
TRAILER.
YOU MENTIONED THAT IT'S A SONG
AND DANCE, IT'S A MUSICAL.
THAT SEEMS TO BE YOUR THING
RIGHT NOW.
YOU ARE ON A RUN OF THREE IN A
ROW.
>> IT'S CRAZY.
I HAVE TO KEEP DRINKING MY TEA
AND LEMON.
>> IS THAT BY DESIGN?
>> IT WAS KIND OF A SURPRISE, A
PLEASANT SURPRISE WHEN I WAS
OFFERS THIS ROLE IN "JINGLE
JANGLE."
IT WILL BE FUN.
WHEN YOU ARE OFFERED THE ROLE OF
THE VILLAIN, WHO DOESN'T WANT TO
PLAY THE VILLAIN?
YOU GET TO BE MORE BOMBASTIC AND
MORE EXAGGERATED.
>> WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY IT THE
FIRST TIME?
>> BECAUSE IT'S PRONOUNCED
AARON.
>> BOMBASTIC CHARACTERS ARE WHAT
KEY DOES BEST.
FIRST, WITH THE FAMED IMPROVE
GROUP THE SECOND CITY.
THEN ON THE SHOW MAD TV.
AND LATER AT ONE HALF OF THE
COMEDY DUO KEY & PEELE.
>> HERE WE GO.
>> GIVE THEM HELL.
>> OVER FIVE SEASONS OF THEIR
NAMESAKE COMEDY CENTRAL SHOW,
KEY AND JORDAN PEELE WROTE AND
PERFORMED SOCIALLY LY PROVOCATI
SKETCHES ABOUT THE BLACK
EXPERIENCE.
IT WON THEM AN EMMY, A PEABODY
AND EVEN THE ATTENTION OF
PRESIDENT OBAMA.
>> THAT'S WHY I INVITED LUTHER,
MY ANGER TRANSLATOR, TO JOIN ME
HERE TONIGHT.
>> HOLD ON TO YOUR LILY WHITE
BUTTS.
>> LUTHER, THE OBAMA ANGER
TRANSLATOR.
IT SEEMS TO ME WATCHING
PRESIDENT OBAMA RIGHT NOW,
ESPECIALLY ON HIS BOOK TOUR, HE
LET IT GO A LITTLE BIT.
HE IS CHANNELLING LUTHER.
>> LUTHER DOESN'T KNOW YET, BUT
I THINK THEY WILL GIVE HIM HIS
PINK SLIP.
HE DOESN'T NEED HIM ANYMORE.
>> COME ON, BRING IT IN THERE.
>> WHAT WAS THE MAGIC YOU FELT
WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED DOING
COMEDY WITH JORDAN?
>> I THINK PART WAS NOT ONLY A
SHARED KNOWLEDGE OF THE ART FORM
OF PEOPLE, BOTH BUY IBI BIRACIA
RAISED BY SINGLE PARENTS.
WE WANTED THE SHOW TO BE SOME
REFLECTION OF WHO WE WERE IN THE
WORLD SPECIFICALLY.
IT HAPPENED TO FALL INTO PLACE
THAT THE MOST POWERFUL MAN IN
THE WORLD WAS ALSO OF A SIMILAR
BACKGROUND.
OBAMA BEING OUR PRESIDENT OPENED
UP THAT PROFILE SO THAT PEOPLE
STARTED TO UNDERSTAND THIS IS
THE THEME THAT EXISTS IN THE
WORLD.
ONE OF OUR GOALS WAS FOR PEOPLE
TO SEE THAT WE ARE HUMAN.
BLACK PEOPLE ARE HUMAN.
WE HAVE EXPERIENCES THAT
EVERYBODY ELSE HAS.
THROUGH THE LENS OF COMEDY.
YOU KNOW?
>> WHEN KEY & PEELE ENDED, SO,
TOO, DID A SELF-DESCRIBED COMEDY
DETOUR THAT LASTED NEARLY 20
YEARS.
KEY TURNED TO THE STAGE.
FAMILIAR TERRITORY FOR A FORMER
THEATER KID FROM DETROIT.
>> I STARTED PERFORMING IN HIGH
SCHOOL.
I WAS GOING THROUGH A LOT
EMOTIONALLY IN MY YOUTH.
A WONDERFUL PERSON TOLD THE
DRAMA TEACHER IN MY HIGH SCHOOL,
AND HE SAID, THIS KID, I THINK,
MIGHT HAVE A FACILITY FOR THIS.
IT MIGHT BE HEALING FOR HIM.
TAKE HIM UNDER YOUR WING.
I LOVED IT.
THE LOVED THE COMRADERY.
I FELT LIKE I WAS HOME.
MY LIFE HAS TAKEN THIS TURN NOW,
SURPRISINGLY, INTO SOMETHING I
DIDN'T REALIZE WAS GOING TO COME
BACK INTO MY LIFE IN THIS
WONDERFUL WAY.
I MUST HAVE MANIFESTED IT.
>> WE CAN SPRINKLE IN BROADWAY.
>> I REMEMBER BEING BACKSTAGE
OPENING NIGHT AND LOOKING UP AT
THE RAFTERS AND GOING, WHEN DID
YOU THINK YOU WERE GOING TO DO
THIS?
I'M SORRY.
OH, BOY.
>> I JUST GOT A CHILL WHEN YOU
SAID THAT.
I DID.
WITH "THE PROM" KEY AGAIN TAPS
THOSE THEATER ROOTS.
THIS TIME AS MERYL STREEP'S LOVE
INTEREST --
>> HOW LUCKY YOU ARE TO BE
SURROUNDED BY YOUR PEOPLE.
>> IN A FILM ADAPTATION OF THE
MUSICAL ABOUT A SMALL TOWN'S
FIGHT OVER AN INCLUSIVE PROM.
THE DREAM JOB STARTED WITH A
CALL FROM THE PRODUCER/DIRECTOR
RYAN MURPHY.
>> YOU WOULD BE PLAYING THE
PRINCIPAL.
YOU HAVE MOMENTS IN YOUR CAREER
WHEN THIS HAPPENS WHEN YOU
CONNECT THE DOTS.
WAIT A MINUTE.
THE PRINCIPAL THAT WOULD MEAN I
WOULD BE ACTING WITH MERYL
STREEP.
>> RIGHT.
>> I'M WINNING THE RACE.
YOU CROSS THE TAPE.
I THINK I JUST WON.
THIS IS A GOLD MEDAL.
SHE'S A CARD.
SHE'S GOT THIS BOLD, BRASSY
LAUGH.
SHE LIKES A DIRTY JOKE.
>> HOW DO YOU GET PAST THAT
MOMENT OF BEING A FAN?
YOU ARE THERE AND SHE'S
EXPECTING YOU TO ACT WITH HER.
>> YOU HAVE TO TAKE A COUPLE
BREATHS AND GO, REMEMBER WHY YOU
ARE HERE.
ALSO, AT THE END OF THE DAY, FOR
THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF
YEARS, THERE HAVE BEEN ACTORS.
THERE HAVE BEEN ACTORS WHO HAVE
BEEN THERE FOR THEIR PARTNER.
YOU HAVE TO BE THERE FOR YOUR
PARTNER.
>> DO YOU, KEEGAN, IN THOSE
MOMENTS, DO YOU STOP AND GO, MY
GOSH, I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL
THEATER A MINUTE AGO AND LOOK
WHERE I HAVE COME IN MY LIFE?
>> SOME DAYS YOU HAVE TO TAKE A
MOMENT TO BE THANKFUL.
I'M IN THIS TRAILER RIGHT NOW.
WHICH MEANS I'M WORKING.
I'M GRATEFUL TO BE WORKING.
IT'S A DARING THING TO DO.
BUT SOMETIMES, YOU SHOULD JUST
SAY YOUR DREAMS OUT LOUD.
YOU NEVER KNOW.
THEY COULD JUST COME TRUE.
>> HE IS A GREAT GUY.
KEEGAN'S HOLIDAY MOVIE "JINGLE
JANGLE" IS STREAM ON NETFLIX.
"THE PROM" BEGINNING STREAMING
THERE DECEMBER 11th.
SUBSCRIBE TO THE SUNDAY SIT-DOWN
PODCAST TO HEAR THE FULL