Nope Stars Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer Speak Out on Their Sibling Chemistry
Building chemistry between actors can sometimes be a tricky thing, but for Nope actors Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer, it took hardly any time at all. Kaluuya and Palmer play siblings OJ Haywood and Emerald Haywood, respectively in Nope, the latest thriller from filmmaker Jordan Peele. Seeing as they are brother and sister as well as the two central characters, the duo had to build up believable chemistry that would appeal and come across as natural to audiences. Keep in mind they are also investigating what appear to be UFOs flying across the skies above their ranch. When it came to their sibling chemistry, the actors revealed what went on behind the scenes to make that movie magic.
ComicBook.com's Chris Killian spoke to Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer to find out they worked to build OJ and Emerald's brother-sister dynamic. When asked how long it took them to get to that point, Kaluuya responded, "It took about 4-5 minutes." After laughing, he added, "We just hung out here, and the night took us." Keke Palmer quickly corrected him, stating how she was the one behind their escapades. "We then got our bond from there," he added.
When asked if they had any favorite UFO movies growing up, Kaluuya mentioned how he watched Close Encounters a few years ago. "I was like, 'This is amazing,' and it's aged very well. I thought that was amazing," he said. Kaluuya also brought up Independence Day, which got a response from Palmer as well.
"With sci-fi, I love Interstellar, I like Contact. But that's more 'spacey,'" she said. They both decided that Independence Day was one of the classics in the UFO category.
The first reactions to Nope arrived online two days ago, which is getting heaps of praise in this early round of reactions, similar to Peele's previous two films: 2017's Get Out and 2019's Us. Nope is also a hit on Rotten Tomatoes. At the time of writing this, Nope has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 82% Fresh, with 104 reviews having been submitted. The general RT critical consensus reads "Admirable for its originality and ambition even when its reach exceeds its grasp, Nope adds Spielbergian spectacle to Jordan Peele's growing arsenal."
In ComicBook.com's official Nope Review, critic Nathaniel Brail writes:
Jordan Peele has had a significantly successful career since the finale of Key & Peele, with the comedian choosing to begin making films. Peele started off his filmmaking journey with a huge cultural impact, directing Get Out, one of the biggest films of the past 10 years. When Get Out was released, no one knew what to expect from Peele, and he did more than deliver. The film touched on themes that most directors wouldn't even dream of putting on screen, and he did it masterfully. Peele would then go on to direct the horror film Us next, and some labeled it "the greatest horror film of all time." Us wasn't as fine-tuned as Get Out was, but it definitely showed that the director was a force to be reckoned with. After the release of Us, Peele would take a break from directing the film and move his focus to producing until he was ready to announce his next project. Some fans were wondering if the director would be able to pull off another great film, and now that I've seen his third film, Nope, I can safely say that the film is one of the greatest takes on the sci-fi genre.
If you're a fan of Peele's films, this is probably his most interesting project. When you think Nope is going left, the director makes sure that it goes right, and this makes him one of the only filmmakers that is making his own original IP into event films. With some brilliant performances by Palmer, Kaluuya, Yeun, and Perea, Nope is the film of the summer. If you're looking for a film that will scare you as well as think about what's going on in the world, then this is the film you're looking for. Nope is a sci-fi work of art.
Nope arrives in theaters on July 22nd.