Jordan Peele graced the stage of Hollywood’s Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre for their conversations series on Monday. There, he talked about the massive success of his latest movie “Us,” and why he won’t be casting a “white dude as the lead” anytime soon.
Peele admitted that he had his doubts while writing his directorial debut, “Get Out,” but he’s glad he didn’t let them get to him. “Every two weeks I’d go, ‘What 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 said. “But if you could make that fun… that’s what brought me back.”
His ideas proved to be a formula that he’s going to stick with, and he’s proud to be part of a “renaissance” that’s “proved the myths about representation in the industry are false.” “I don’t see myself casting a white dude as the lead in my movie – not that I don’t like white dudes, but I’ve seen that movie,” he noted. “I feel fortunate to be in this position where I can say to Universal, ‘I want to make a $20 million horror movie with a black family,’ and they say yes.”
- As we previously reported,Peele is taking over for Rod Serling for CBS’ upcoming reboot of “The Twilight Zone.” When asked by an audience member what his favorite episode of the original series is, he picked “The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street.” “It points out the ugliness and flaws of humanity,” he explained. “That’s what I like to do with my stories. The real monster are within us.”
Source: The Hollywood Reporter