The beauty of any artwork is that it becomes the person that's watching it: What do you take out of it?
— Daniel Kaluuya
Having something that makes money changes everything. I'm from England, and it's very much about credibility there. And yeah, it is about that. But the money can change things. And so you understand it's a business.
'Sicario' was a lot of improvisation.
Life ain't a drama. And life isn't just a comedy. Life is sometimes horrifying. Life is science-fiction. There are all elements and faculties that we navigate, so I just expect a script to reflect that. As long as it's truthful. I think genre-bending is just being honest.
Everything men do is for women.
Racism is like a horror movie. Black kids die because of racism. I don't know what's more horrifying than that.
Writing can be really lonely, and I find that bit difficult. I'd rather be around my people, getting ideas.
A lot of times, the people who have the confidence to say, 'I don't know what the rules are, so I'm just going to do what I want,' are the most exciting people.
I did a play, back in the day, called 'Sucker Punch,' and it meant so much for me. I was 21. And I went, 'I just want to do work like that.' Stuff I believe in. And when I have compromised, I've never really felt good about it.
I feel like racism's more pronounced in America.
I learned so much on 'Sicario' and working with that group of actors, where there was the audacity, the confidence, to do nothing.
I feel very appreciative of my mum, my girl, my family, my friends.
I think the traditional stereotypes are loaded in institutional racism.
If I was at school and one of my friends said something funny, I'd write it down in a notebook and take it to the writers meetings. I never told my friends about it. I just thought I could incorporate stuff that was true to life.
Nas is such a touchstone in my world.
I think the 'sunken place' - that term is what I hear when I'm just casually living my life. People say it around me. Not because they're around me; they're saying it because it articulated a state of mind. Lil Wayne's rapped about it.
Loads of stuff that I've done has always had a hint of comedy. I did this show called 'Psychoville' that's a horror-comedy. Because I just think that's what life's like.
Usually I do a job, and, like, two weeks later, it disappears and is replaced with something else, but 'Get Out' kept growing and growing and growing, and it keeps taking me to rooms I could never get in before.
I go to music festivals, and people want to talk to me about racism. I'm like, 'Bro, I'm trying to have fun!'
When work ends, I'd rather just be seen as Daniel - normal.
What's great about 'Skins' is that the characters are exactly like people around you.
