Fresh off the box office success of “Us”, Jordan Peele says he does not see himself casting a white actor as the lead in one of his future productions.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hollywood director Jordan Peele says he does not see himself casting a “white dude” as the lead in one of his films.
“I don’t see myself casting a white dude as the lead in my movie,” Peele said during an appearance at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Hollywood. “Not that I don’t like white dudes. But I’ve seen that movie.”
THR reports that Peele’s comments “drew loud applause and shouts of agreement.”
The “Get Out” director suggested his stance is the start of a new renaissance in Hollywood filmmaking.
“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 proven the myths about representation in the industry are false,” he said.
Peele adds that the point of directing is to hire the right people, listening to their ideas and helping them reach their dreams.
“Directing for me is about hiring the right people, listening to them and helping them do the best job possible,” he said, adding that he has let go of his ego.
“You have to shelve it,” he said. “You have to check it constantly. It’s so easy for it to come out and rear its ugly head. “The ego is deceptive and it will screw you up.”
Jordan Peele’s “Us” made a jaw-dropping $88 million at the box-office just in it’s first weekend, which is the second largest opening for an original live-action film. His previous feature film, “Get Out” broke records by raking in $250 million on a budget of just $5 million. Peele said he initially doubted the success of “Get Out” but loved the challenge of making it a hit movie.
PALM SPRINGS – JAN 3: Jordan Peele, Daniel Kaluuya at the PSIFF Creative Impact Awards & “10 Directors to Watch” at Parker Palm Springs on January 3, 2018 in Palm Springs, CA – Image (Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com)
“Every two weeks I’d go, ‘What the f**k am I doing? I’m writing a movie where a black man is victimized and all the white people are evil and I’m trying to get the audience to have fun,'” he recalled. “But if you could make that fun…that’s what brought me back.”
“Us” centers around a black American family facing off against violent doppelgangers of themselves while visiting their vacation home.
“Very important for me was to have a black family at the center of a horror film,” Peele said at a screening back in December. “But it’s also important to note, unlike Get Out, Us is not about race. It is instead about something that I feel has become an undeniable truth. And that is the simple fact that we are our own worst enemies.”
“I dedicated a lot of myself to create a new horror mythology and a new monster,” Peele said. “I think that monsters and stories about monsters are one of our best ways of getting at deeper truths and facing our fears as a society.”
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