-You guys, we are thrilled to be joined tonight
by the fantastic cast and director
of the highly anticipated film "Nope,"
which opens in theaters and IMAX tomorrow.
Please welcome to the show Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer,
Brandon Perea, and Jordan Peele!
♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ]
♪♪
Welcome, everybody. -Hey.
-Congratulations on the film. It's fantastic.
Jordan, I just want to start.
What does it feel like?
I know you had the premiere on Monday.
You get to see it with
a large group of people for the first time.
This is an idea that's obviously been
in your head for a long time.
Is it very satisfying to see it with a large group of people?
-It is very -- I love watching these films with people.
I love hearing an audience.
And I also love it when you don't hear an audience
and you look over and they're like --
[ Laughter ] That, I -- I love it.
I get so much -- It's why I do it is
because I love this audience.
And I'm just so -- I'm so proud to be able to bring out
three very sexy people before me.
-Stop.
-So that it can... [ Cheers ]
-...pave the -- it can sort of lubricate the stage for me.
But these guys, these guys are so good in the movie
that it was just a blast to shoot.
-Was that the first time, Daniel,
you had seen it all the way through?
-First time I'd seen it finished, yeah.
-Okay. -I saw it in IMAX.
It was way better in IMAX.
It's like the sound and the -- it really helps
with the suspense and everything that's happening here.
-And of course, you know, not to give anything away,
but there are effects in the film.
Like, you were doing a great deal
of acting with things that were not there.
-Yeah. -Yes.
It was two weeks when I had nothing.
[ Laughter ] I would look at the sky.
-You are a great --
[ Laughter ]
-Jordan was like...
-Well, that must be when you have to direct somebody
where you know what it's going to look like and they don't.
-Yeah. And you know, it's like I'm talking to --
like, Daniel is a brilliant thespian.
He's Oscar Award-winning.
So, I'm talking to -- and he's being --
[ Cheers and applause ]
-You too, you too, man. -Stop.
My thespian days are over.
No, but, look -- Daniel is a man of few words, you know.
But you just know he's understanding
what you're putting down.
You know when he's understanding.
He's just, "Mm-hmm, yep, yep."
-That's so true.
-And so, you have this shorthand.
But when you have to be like "And yeah and yeah,
you're looking at a flying saucer."
And he's like, "Hmm? Come again?"
You know, it's like, it really is a whole different process
'cause he's used to looking at somebody in the eyes
and talking to them.
But, you know, the reason we --
the reason he's so perfect in this role
is because, you know,
Daniel's eyes tell so much of a --
so much of the story.
-So true. -Appreciate that.
Jordan's world, he's made a unique world.
So, I felt like I understand his language.
He's got his own cinematic language.
And I relish kind of like stepping into that
and actualizing that. -Absolutely.
-It would be very funny if you went to the premiere
and everything that he told you
you were seeing was the opposite.
[ Laughter ]
If it's like a weird sort of goofy animated deer.
-Daffy Duck. -You're terrified.
You're absolutely terrified. [ Laughter ]
To the core. -So, I know a lot of people,
obviously, Keke, come out to this premiere.
I heard you met somebody,
a celebrity at the premiere you lost it for.
-Honey, I lost it.
So, I grew up living for "The Goonies."
-Sure. -I literally have a tattoo
with my siblings, "Goonies never say die."
We literally live for that.
Corey Feldman was at the premiere, love.
We wigged out!
I said, "Corey, my man Mouth is in the building!"
I was so hyped.
[ Laughter ]
-Now, I would imagine -- [ Applause ]
Yeah, give it up for Corey Feldman.
I would imagine he was delighted to have this response from you.
Is that safe to say? -Yes, but I feel like --
I mean, he knows "Goonies" is a classic.
I mean, the two Coreys, rest in peace, Corey Haim.
I mean, he knows. So, he was just like --
-He might know but I bet
he didn't go out that night thinking
"I'm going to go get some real 'Goonies' love."
[ Laughter ]
-But he is a legend for our generation, as you know.
-Yes. -And it is --
there's a lot of sort of
reference points that align this movie
with like some of the big sort of adventure movies
from the '90s and '80s.
So he was like -- it was key we had Corey at our opening.
-Jordan mentioned, of course, that's what he lives for,
seeing the audience reaction.
When you're watching this movie for the first time,
are any of you, as the cast of the film,
turning to see the faces of other people watching?
Are you curious -- -Always.
-Okay.
-I'm that way even when I'm not in the movie.
I love to see, "What did you think?"
And the funny thing --
the great thing about Jordan's films is everybody
is always chewing on a million things afterwards.
So, me and my friends are in debates,
like, "What did you think?"
"I don't know, did it happen?" "What do you --"
We always are trying to figure out what he really was saying.
-I can't handle it. [ Laughter ]
-Oh, so you won't look at the other faces?
-I won't. And then I go toilet.
I always go to the bathroom.
For some reason, my bladder goes, "We got to leave."
[ Laughter ] -I know that feeling.
-On the premiere, I went toilet twice.
I was like, "I'm done. I can't.
I can't sit down." I get stressed out.
I just -- you just -- You're so close to it.
You're so close to it. You're seeing all the details.
You're feeling people react to certain things.
"Oh, I should have done that."
It's a lot happening.
-Now, I want to ask, real quick,
you obviously haven't worked with Jordan before.
How did this come about for you, Brandon?
-So, I was, I think, the only person to audition for,
like, one of the lead roles in the film.
So, you get a Jordan Peele audition, it's like,
"Oh, snap. Alright.
It's about that time to like gear things up."
And I was surprised that he was auditioning
someone for a lead role, because he can get anyone
he wants in the planet I feel like.
Everyone wants to work with Jordan.
So, I was just like, "Alright, it's game time."
And it was cool because I brought something different
to the table than what the script originally had planned.
It was more of a quirky, nerdy person.
And I brought this edge and hard, broken person
that's kind of over things.
You know what I mean?
[ Applause ] -By the way, you have no idea.
You know when you, like --
you know when you see something and you just,
for whatever reason, it just hits your funny bone
and you just laugh until you cry?
It was one of these moments we're in this audition,
like he said, just came in with
just sort of a take on the character.
And it just cracked me up so much.
I was like, "Dude."
I did one of those reality show things where you're like,
"Well, I don't know how it's going to go.
[ Laughter ]
"But you've got the job."
[ Laughter ]
And it was just -- it was just one of these moments where --
you know, we just had this real bond.
We were, like, we were crying like babies.
-I cried. You cried.
-It was just one of these moments.
And then the energy, he came in --
I mean, watching these three work together,
for example is just one of the joys of the film.
Because their -- the balance is just one of those great teams.
And then of course you add Michael Wincott,
who's one of my favorite actors.
And Steven Yeun who just takes on this really --
-It is a wonder, because, you know, for me,
one of the wonderful things about this film
is it is about people to some degree working together.
And it came at a time where people weren't working together
because of the pandemic.
And so, it was so great to see actors together again
and see obviously everything behind making a film.
You had, obviously, worked with Jordan before.
How does he approach you?
You know, after the success of "Get Out,"
does he have to sell much when he tells you about "Nope"
or -- -He doesn't have to but he did.
[ Laughter ]
He spoke to me about a film a while ago, and it went quiet.
And then he came back. It was at pandemic,
so I was just like in the house by myself.
And then Jordan Peele's calling me.
I'm like, "Pick up."
And then he spoke about the film, like, scene for scene,
beat for beat over the phone.
It's like a two hour and a half phone call.
And he's like, "What did you think?"
I'm like, "I'm going to have to process that."
When you watch the film, you'd understand.
It's this and it's that and it's this and it's that.
Yeah, a lot's happening, man, a lot's happening, man.
For me, it was just a -- For me, it was ambitious and audacious.
That's what I loved about it.
It was just, "Oh, he's going for it."
I mean, and so, I just respected that,
and I like to do that too.
So, I always like it. -You're a fan of horror,
and you actually reached out to Jordan in the past.
-Yes. -And this really paid off
then, obviously, because here you are.
-You know, I never asked you, Jordan,
because I don't even know if you look at your DMs.
Did you even see when I DM'd you?
-No. [ Laughter ]
-Obviously, Jordan doesn't look at his DMs.
But I DM'd you, man, right after "Get Out." I said,
"Dude, we worked together on 'Key & Peele.'"
-So, after we had been working together
for a couple of months, you brought it up.
And I think you brought it up
thinking somehow that was a thing.
You were like, "You know, when I DM'd you
a couple years ago and you responded."
I look, and all of a sudden, I see this DM from legendary,
iconic Keke Palmer, by the way. -Stop!
-I would never -- [ Cheers and applause ]
I would never, like -- I would never disrespect her like that.
But I legit didn't see it.
And so, we're working together, and I see this --
"Let's work together some day" moment.
And I'm like, "Keke, look!"
It didn't even take that.
I loved you anyway. -I love you, J.P.
-You should have responded then while you were on set
and be like, "Great, let's do it."
[ Laughter ]
And it'd be like, "Something's weird.
I think my DMs are just going through now."
[ Laughter ] I have a million more questions
to ask you guys about the movies.
We will be right back with more from the cast of "Nope."