Oscar nominee Daniel Kaluuya on 'Get Out': 'I was like, are you allowed to make films like this?'

Daniel Kaluuya talks about his role in the blockbuster film "Get Out."

ByABC News
February 9, 2018, 1:04 PM

— -- If you stopped anyone on the street a year ago and asked them to name a Daniel Kaluuya movie, they’d likely be hard-pressed to come up with a single title.

But fast forward to 2018, and he’s on fire, nominated for award after award for his standout performance in the hit comedy/drama "Get Out."

That list includes a nod for best actor by the National Film Society, a Golden Globe nomination, a BAFTA nomination for the Rising Star Award and an Oscar nod for Best Actor.

Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Lucas Hedges and Timothée Chalamet make up the primary cast of the film.

As the film is set to be re-released Friday, Kaluuya told ABC News all the praise for his work is a form of love.

"I’m very happy that people feel it," Kaluuya said in an appearance on "Popcorn with Peter Travers."

"These nominations, they’re like amazing. As a human being, you want to be recognized for what you do by your peers," he added. "It’s a nice feeling. It’s nice that that’s happening, especially with people that I respect."

PHOTO: Daniel Kaluuya in a scene from "Get Out."
Daniel Kaluuya in a scene from "Get Out."

In the film, Kaluuya stars as a black man in an interracial relationship who notices unusual behavior when he’s invited to meet his girlfriend’s parents. It marks writer-director Jordan Peele's feature film debut.

The film has been categorized as a musical/comedy. While some have called it a horror film, others have categorized it as a unique look at racism.

Download the all new "Popcorn With Peter Travers" podcasts on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Tunein, Google Play Music and Stitcher.

Travers asked Kaluuya about his reaction when he first saw the script.

"I was like: 'Are you allowed to make films like this?' I was like, 'I don’t know if you are.' I thought Jordan was going to get in trouble,” Kaluuya said. “Because sometimes you think stuff as a black person, and you can’t say stuff because it will make other people feel uncomfortable.

"So you feel like you have to behave. So he was just calling out certain traits in certain other people and how that makes you feel," he added. "And then, killing everyone. I mean it was like, 'Could you get away with a black male protagonist strangling a white woman?'"

PHOTO: Daniel Kaluuya appears on "Popcorn with Peter Travers" at ABC News studios, Jan. 9, 2018, in New York City.
Daniel Kaluuya appears on "Popcorn with Peter Travers" at ABC News studios, Jan. 9, 2018, in New York City.

Kaluuya, 28, told Travers he was selected for the role when Peele spotted him in the BBC series, “Black Mirror,” three years after it was first released.

PHOTO: Jordan Peele during the filming of "Get Out."
Jordan Peele during the filming of "Get Out."

"It happened that it went on Netflix and then it was a wave of new people," Kaluuya said, "three, four years later that found "Black Mirror."

"And Jordan was one of them," he added. "I just couldn’t believe he knew who I was.”

“Get Out” is in theaters everywhere.

Be sure to watch the full interview with Peter Travers and Greta Gerwig in the video above.

Related Topics