5 Things You Didn’t Know About Daniel Kaluuya

Daniel Kaluuya in a "Get Out" Scene

“Get Out” – the movie that Daniel Kaluuya starred in has crossed the $100 million revenue line [grossing $255 million worldwide] after costing just about $4.5 million to make.

According to Peter Debruge of Variety, Get Out is more than just a standard-issue thriller; “this brutal, smart movie is impeccably made, as well as surprising, shocking, and funny, while also offering a compassionate, thoughtful look at race,” he writes.

The comic horror, in fact, has an approval rating of 99% on Rotten Tomatoes, an American review aggregation website for film and television. On Metacritic, it is at 84%.

All this success, however, has everything to do with its captivating lead, Daniel Kaluuya, the 28-year-old British actor – of course – he is a black man -- he epitomizes everything that inspired Get Out.

Daniel Kaluuya’s exasperation has always been with how his ethnicity always had to come before his apparent talent and sheer finesse.

It is a “frustrating thing,” he told GQ. “In order to prove that I can play this role, I have to open up about the trauma that I've experienced as a black person. I have to show off my struggle so that people accept that I'm black. I resent that I have to prove that I'm black.”

Such injustice is what Kaluuya has had to grapple with almost throughout his now-blossoming career;

“I'm dark-skinned… I'm made to feel "other" because I'm dark-skinned, he said in an interview with GQ. “I've had to wrestle with that; with people going ‘You're too black.’ Then I come to America and they say, ‘You're not black enough.’”

Little wonder, it is roles like these that easily turn him on, so to speak. Asked of whether he only goes for socially conscious work, Kaluuya averred that he really would rather go for stuff that’s real.

“I always feel like there’s a reaction, I call it a hum, when I find stuff that’s connected with me,” he underscored.

In Get Out, Daniel Kaluuya leads as Chris Washington, a black man who uncovers a disturbing secret when he meets the family of his white girlfriend. The film was praised by critics, particularly for Peele's screenplay and direction, and Kaluuya's performance.

He has been talked of one of 2017’s Hollywood breakthroughs – rightly so – 2017 was a big year for him, especially after the release of Get Out; the movie has hitherto earned four 90th Academy Awards nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Actor for Kaluuya. It also earned five nominations at the 23rd Critics' Choice Awards, two at the 75th Golden Globe Awards (Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Actor – Comedy or Musical for Kaluuya) and two at the 71st British Academy Film Awards (Best Actor in a Leading Role for Kaluuya and Best Original Screenplay).

Talking about this movie, Daniel Kaluuya said it was Director Jordan Peele’s social commentary masked as a horror film – the kind of film he would do any day, any time.

He remembers how one day, returning to London after Get Out was released and walking down Warren Street while on the phone, when a black woman suddenly, “looking at me, hugged me, and then walked away.” He adds, this is not the last time it happened.

But Kaluuya did not just show up – at least not out of oblivion. Many people outside United Kingdom might easily recognize him as Agent Tucker in the remake of Johnny English Reborn in 2011. However his credits also include TV series, Psychoville, The Fades, Black Mirror and Skins

Daniel Kaluuya was born in London, England on February 24, 1989. He is the son of Ugandan immigrants. He was raised by his mother on a council estate, along with an older sister; his father lived in Uganda, and rarely visited. Kaluuya attended St Aloysius College, London. He lives in West London with his girlfriend, Amandla.

1.      He is Ugandan

East to West, they say, home is the best. He might have been born in Britain but he’ll never be without his Ugandan ancestry – for it is the home that raised his parents… Daniel Kaluuya has in fact made several low-profile trips to the East African Country. 

Whereas he was brought by his mother in Britain, Kaluuya's born father stayed in Uganda and later, he sought relationship with his son when he was about fifteen years old. 

                                  

2.      He Likes Flaunting His Culture

Daniel Kaluuya donning a Ugandan Kanzu at the Premiere of Black Panther

Kaluuya has confessed before that he feels like the "other" when he goes to Uganda… well, because he cannot speak the local [African] language. But this has never been because he is not proud of his culture. He has promoted Ugandan culture abroad probably more than many cultural leaders in Uganda. Perhaps what is more outstanding is when he wore ekanzu at the premiere of "Black Panther", Marvel's Superhero blockbuster in which he features as W’kabi …

3.      He Wrote His First Play At The Age Of Nine

As a teen, Kaluuya, according to bustle.com, remembers how he shirked University for a writing gig on Skins, which he also appeared in a recurring role as Posh Kenneth and for him, working on it was like University, he said in an interview.

Kaluuya’s mother, however, wasn’t ever interested in the creative arts, he did have a teacher who made the recommendation that he begin taking acting classes to remain busy. At this point, Kaluuya wrote his own play, and this went on to win an award in a local competition at the Hampstead Theater in London.

4.      He Has An Introverted Personality

Would you imagine being a Hollywood superstar and not on Twitter or Instagram – you probably cannot comprehend but it happens and that’s the life of Daniel Kaluuya. He is not on social media – at least not which we know of and he generally likes keeping a low profile.

In fact, even doing press [interviews] is not his thing. He almost never does media interviews; he prefers being by himself working more than talking and socializing.

5.      Kaluuya Hates Prejudice & He’s A Determined Activist Against Social Injustice

“Even people who say that black people are minorities, there are a billion black people in the world. A billion white people. What part of that is a minority? If you separate yourself, then maybe. But I see black people as one man. When I see people beaten on the streets of America, that hurts me. I feel that” he said, in a GQ interview.

Kaluuya, this year, is portraying W'Kabi in the Marvel Studios blockbuster film Black Panther which premieres today, February 15, 2018 worldwide.