Speaker 1: Welcome to Playback, a Variety podcast. I'm your host, Variety
Speaker 1: Awards Editor Chris Tapley. On today's show, we bring back
Speaker 1: Variety Senior VP Tim Gray for final Oscar predictions ahead
Speaker 1: of Hollywood's big night. A little bit later, I'll be
Speaker 1: talking to Get Out writer and director Jordan Peel. So
Speaker 1: stick around. Okay, here we are. We've got a couple
Speaker 1: of days left. I'll miss you, guys. I won't see
Speaker 1: you again until what August. That kind of put us
Speaker 1: in our holes. Let's go hid eight for the next
Speaker 1: few months. I should say I'm here with Janelle again
Speaker 1: as well, obviously, and Tim Gray is back. Name like
Speaker 1: share Rihanna exactly. That one name is enough. And Tim
Speaker 1: was just talking to some foreign press. I'm curious, what
Speaker 1: are they? What is their perspective on the Oscars? Tim Well, well, actually, um,
Speaker 1: people this year always want to know about of course,
Speaker 1: they want to know who's gonna win, and they want
Speaker 1: to know about Oscars so white, about the diversity, and
Speaker 1: you know, I think it's it's a valent question after
Speaker 1: last year. But but I always feel like a little
Speaker 1: defensive for the people who were nominated this year and
Speaker 1: the truth of it is if you see those movies,
Speaker 1: you wouldn't have to ask, you know, are they being
Speaker 1: nominated for for the sake of diversity, because it's I mean,
Speaker 1: you know, like Fences, those performances, like I mean, they'd
Speaker 1: be amazing any year breaking news from the heartland. My
Speaker 1: parents loved Moonlight. They finally thought it and they loved it.
Speaker 1: Yet well it wasn't what was the review going around
Speaker 1: this week in from the Times in London where the
Speaker 1: critic was like, who is this movie for? Certainly not
Speaker 1: the straight white males who will watch it. It was
Speaker 1: a pretty awful, terrible We only want to see movies
Speaker 1: about I would hate to see a movie about me.
Speaker 1: But then she ultimately came to shet of me. She
Speaker 1: ultimately came to some point that like the black people
Speaker 1: would not be interested in this film, and I was like,
Speaker 1: what point are you trying to make? She took the
Speaker 1: hill you want to die on? Well, I mean, I mean,
Speaker 1: the truth of it is. I I will say, you know,
Speaker 1: journalists always try and see and things from an angle
Speaker 1: that most people wouldn't pick up on so and and
Speaker 1: and this week, of course, you know it's fashionable if
Speaker 1: a movie got nominated then there must be something wrong
Speaker 1: with it, so so let me explain why. But I
Speaker 1: also feel like, you know what calmed down. I mean, yeah,
Speaker 1: she does have a point though, because I know only
Speaker 1: superheroes like to see Avengers movies. Yes, exactly. Yeah, it's
Speaker 1: really not anybody else going going to those guarding the
Speaker 1: uh you know, the the sense of a meritok receiversus
Speaker 1: doing things for the I mean, do you get the
Speaker 1: feeling that Cheryl bon Isaacs at the Academy has acted
Speaker 1: like their initiative is what spawned these nominations because people
Speaker 1: keep talking about Cheryl's speech at the uh luncheon where
Speaker 1: she said clearly progress has been made. But when she
Speaker 1: said that, I didn't take that as see you look
Speaker 1: at these nominees. I think it as we we added
Speaker 1: seven hundred voices and over two hundred or nearly three
Speaker 1: hundred of them more international people and blah blah blah
Speaker 1: blah blah. So what does the vibe you've gotten temp
Speaker 1: from the Academy on that score? Do you you get
Speaker 1: a sense of back padding out of self back padding?
Speaker 1: I mean, I find the Academy is so secretive. I mean,
Speaker 1: they just have a culture of not talking about themselves,
Speaker 1: so so it's like they don't even pat themselves on
Speaker 1: the back. But I think I when when all the
Speaker 1: diversity discussion happened last year, Cheryl B and I has
Speaker 1: made a couple of statements about, look, we're going to
Speaker 1: set an example, because if you want the Academy to
Speaker 1: reflect the industry as it is today, it's like it's
Speaker 1: going to be white males. But but she's saying, look,
Speaker 1: we're we're going to diversify and maybe they'll pick up
Speaker 1: our cues. So I kind of think that's what they're
Speaker 1: congratulating themselves about, don't Because yeah, I certainly can't imagine
Speaker 1: that you would expect that movies that were already in
Speaker 1: the pipeline that we're already filming happened to be movies anyway,
Speaker 1: that that that this reaction is somehow that I can't
Speaker 1: blame them for, you know, taking an opportunity to pat
Speaker 1: themselves on the back a little bit. Though, yeah, I
Speaker 1: think they are making change. I think that's okay, but
Speaker 1: I also think it's it's kind of selling the other
Speaker 1: members short by just saying that's why Fences and Moonlight
Speaker 1: were nominated this year because of these come out last year.
Speaker 1: I totally agree, totally agree, um and I think we
Speaker 1: wouldn't have had the Oscar so White discussion. But I'm
Speaker 1: glad there was a discussion because I do think people
Speaker 1: in the industry are thinking maybe maybe we have been
Speaker 1: a little insular in our thinking. Absolutely well, predictions, just
Speaker 1: give the people what they want. I've got a copy
Speaker 1: of our ballot and our magazine which has Jimmy Kimmel
Speaker 1: on the cover. I guess Kimmel not fallon too many
Speaker 1: Jimmy's and late what do we think about him as
Speaker 1: the host? By the way, I'm so excited. I think
Speaker 1: he's a great host, that he did a great job
Speaker 1: with the Emmys, and I think he'll be just subversive
Speaker 1: enough and just uh doesn't give an f enough that
Speaker 1: will be Really I love Jimmy Kimmel, and for for years,
Speaker 1: because he's with ABC, I had heard rumors that some
Speaker 1: people wanted him, but they feared he was too edgy
Speaker 1: for us, God forbid, And I thought that's exactly what
Speaker 1: oscars need, is somebody a little edgy but also McFarlin. Well, well,
Speaker 1: but I was talking to Austrian TV. I said, do
Speaker 1: you people know Jimmy Kimmel because his show is and
Speaker 1: they said, yeah, through social media, and I thought, oh god,
Speaker 1: I mean that's really thing because that would not have
Speaker 1: been the case fifteen years ago. But they said, you
Speaker 1: know he he and his people will post a little
Speaker 1: clips and stuff like that, so people they don't watch
Speaker 1: his show because it's not available in Austria, but but
Speaker 1: they know him. He said, I think he's a great choice.
Speaker 1: I mean, Hugh Jackman would always be my first choice.
Speaker 1: But if you can't have him, you know, Hugh Jackman,
Speaker 1: j Kimmel, you're pretty much looking at the same always
Speaker 1: thought Kevin Spacey would have been interesting, but maybe not anymore. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I'm gonna get Janelle to roll her eyes for me.
Speaker 1: It hurts. It hurts so much. Let's make some predictions people, Alright,
Speaker 1: this is going to be easy. Come on, sound. Let's
Speaker 1: start with the sound category. Do you do that to me?
Speaker 1: Sound mixing got to be an easy call, right, Well, yeah,
Speaker 1: I think see I was I thought it was I
Speaker 1: was taking that and sound editing. Yeah, maybe, I mean,
Speaker 1: I mean because I kind of actually, I kind of
Speaker 1: think one film is gonna win in both categories, but
Speaker 1: that might not be true. Um, but but La La
Speaker 1: Land or hacks O Rich for both? For you? Yeah, yeah,
Speaker 1: I think I think it's uh, well, I'm going with
Speaker 1: Laala for mixing, you are two, right, and then for
Speaker 1: sound editing, We're I'm on hacks Office because you know,
Speaker 1: war film all of that. But I hear what you're saying.
Speaker 1: I mean they can't, like so many of these people
Speaker 1: don't know what the difference between these categories is that so, like,
Speaker 1: you know, there's there's a tendency. I could get into
Speaker 1: some geeky stats, but I won't um stats about what
Speaker 1: about just about how how the sound categories play out
Speaker 1: when there's like, uh, you know, movies nominated in both
Speaker 1: categories like slum Dog Millionaire that year both of that
Speaker 1: in the Dark Knight were nominated in both categories and
Speaker 1: The Dark Knight one sound editing, but slum Dog ones
Speaker 1: sound mixing, And I think that's like split. They do split.
Speaker 1: But that's like the only time where like like the
Speaker 1: movie that one sound mixing loss to another movie that
Speaker 1: was also nominated for sound mixing and sound editing. Does
Speaker 1: that make sense? You told me to go there, But
Speaker 1: I'm also curious, I mean, you know, part of the
Speaker 1: fun of oscars, and part of the frustration is that
Speaker 1: you never see the results. So out of like six
Speaker 1: thousand voters, you know, I'd love to know how many
Speaker 1: people cast their ballots. And over the years, I've asked
Speaker 1: a lot of people, can do you know the difference
Speaker 1: between sound editing and sound mixing? A lot of people said, oh,
Speaker 1: I never vote on that category. People, I want to
Speaker 1: know if they really don't vote on it, or if
Speaker 1: they just say I love la la la exactly that
Speaker 1: I'm sure the sound was great. That could absolutely happen. Yeah,
Speaker 1: it's a musical, of course, the sound was great. Yeah.
Speaker 1: I rarely call splits on these just because of what
Speaker 1: you say. It tends to be where they'll just for
Speaker 1: both of them, check check. I think they should combine
Speaker 1: these categories, and I appreciate the sound editors fought hard
Speaker 1: to have their own category years and then the show
Speaker 1: would be shorter. Yeah. I just I just think it's
Speaker 1: it's you know, Yeah, it's a little ridiculous for one
Speaker 1: branch to have two categories. And you could say something
Speaker 1: about the actors if you wanted to. So visual effects
Speaker 1: that's an easy call, right, Come on, what what do you.
Speaker 1: I think it's jungle Book. Don't be scared to step
Speaker 1: up with you. I don't have Chris all memorized, and
Speaker 1: I'm not even sure what it's competition is. Yeah, it's
Speaker 1: gonna be jungle Book. Question there is do actors feel,
Speaker 1: you know, pushed out of the game with stuff like
Speaker 1: the effects work done in Rogue one? Maybe? I mean,
Speaker 1: I think and I don't know, but but I think
Speaker 1: actors feel threatened by motion capture. But the idea of
Speaker 1: I could have played that panther, you know, I don't.
Speaker 1: I don't think they go so I I don't. I
Speaker 1: don't feel like Jungle bies threatening. They made this movie
Speaker 1: downtown Los Angeles. It's amazing, like in a warehouse. We
Speaker 1: had Jon Favreaux on the show. So yeah, I think
Speaker 1: we all think jungle Book for that film. Editing. You
Speaker 1: have the list, I do have the list. It is
Speaker 1: Stall Stall Stall. Well, I'm gonna jump in and I'm
Speaker 1: gonna guess has a Ridge on that one too? Really? Yeah?
Speaker 1: But but again, I mean, you know, La La Land
Speaker 1: is a favorite here. It's a rival Hexa Ridge, Hell
Speaker 1: or high Water, La La Land and Moonlight. I U
Speaker 1: I'm leaning towards Tsa Ridge as well. But but you know,
Speaker 1: I mean seriously, Lawa Land could and also Arrival. Um.
Speaker 1: You know when when you look at even clips from that,
Speaker 1: you know, one minute clip, you think, wow, we've talked
Speaker 1: about that. The structure of Arrival is very dependent on
Speaker 1: the editing. Yes, I'm going with La La Land. I
Speaker 1: just yeah, which is interesting in that Manchester by the
Speaker 1: Sea was not nominating this category because again structure have
Speaker 1: I have we talked about that on here we have? Yeah, Um,
Speaker 1: so you're both more hacks all. That's interesting. It won
Speaker 1: the Bathdoor Award. I didn't see that coming. So you know,
Speaker 1: if they like it enough, I could see that happening.
Speaker 1: It would be interesting if hacks all one film editing,
Speaker 1: sound editing, sound mixing, it would kind of make sense,
Speaker 1: like the Big War Movie nominated for Picture and Director. Yeah, yeah,
Speaker 1: I mean I think it's down to Hacks or La
Speaker 1: La Land. And I'm just trying to be slightly subversive,
Speaker 1: not subversive. And I'm going with the say you you
Speaker 1: are subversive without even trying. Yeah, I'm grown woman in pigtails.
Speaker 1: I mean look about some versive. I am makeup and hairstyle.
Speaker 1: Speaking of pigtails. So we have a man called Star
Speaker 1: Trek Beyond and Suicide Squad. I'm calling Star Trek Beyond. Oh,
Speaker 1: I was going to say Suicide Squad. Really, Suicide Squad
Speaker 1: would be an Oscar winning movie. But see, because I think,
Speaker 1: you know, and I keep be wrong, but I think,
Speaker 1: I think if all you have to do is look
Speaker 1: at photos from Suicide Squad, you know when photos from
Speaker 1: Star Trek or often of Chris Pine or something, and
Speaker 1: and but it's like if you get a shot of
Speaker 1: Isras Elbow, I mean, well, yeah, exactly, I mean look
Speaker 1: all three of them. It's like I feel like what
Speaker 1: always happens with Oscars. Everybody who was nominated deserves to
Speaker 1: be there, but there were a lot of people who
Speaker 1: I also deserve to be there. There's a wide variety
Speaker 1: of stuff on Suicide Squad to like the whole squad.
Speaker 1: You know, everybody has a very definitive look Killer Croc
Speaker 1: with you know, his whole get up, and obviously the Joker,
Speaker 1: and you know, I just gosh, maybe I'm just angry
Speaker 1: at all the Harley Quinn inspired Halloween costumes. I had
Speaker 1: to endure that I can't give it up for the
Speaker 1: makeup in Hairstack. We all agree that the foreign film
Speaker 1: is probably not going to happen because who will have
Speaker 1: seen it outside of people voting in foreign film? It's
Speaker 1: not in that category. Yeah, yeah, I kind of, I
Speaker 1: kind of. I'm not sure enough people saw that. Let's
Speaker 1: wake everybody up with some major category. All right, should
Speaker 1: go to screenplay. Let's go to a screenplays original screenplay?
Speaker 1: La La Land me too? Yeah, sold unanimous? Can we
Speaker 1: talk you into it or you that was your choice? Well,
Speaker 1: those people are picking Manchester on that. Well, I'm not
Speaker 1: sure why has it won any precursors won the back
Speaker 1: won most of the critics prizes. Yeah, but I mean look,
Speaker 1: Keneth owner again is one of our greatest living writers.
Speaker 1: Like I, I get it, but um yeah, and I
Speaker 1: wouldn't be surprised. Actually, La and they both both lost
Speaker 1: the original and w g A, which is Moonlight. Yeah,
Speaker 1: and then Moonlight moved into adapted for the Oscars, really
Speaker 1: really messing up my pool. Yeah, uh no, I would not.
Speaker 1: I would not be surprised at Manchester one. Um, and
Speaker 1: I know, like a lot of people, we've had this discussion.
Speaker 1: We Chris and I both think La La Land is
Speaker 1: a great script, and we don't understand the complaints that
Speaker 1: say that's the weakest part. Um. But yeah, I think
Speaker 1: it wins. Let me also say this is my like,
Speaker 1: you know, if I had the balls to pick it,
Speaker 1: I would category. I feel like Hell or High Water
Speaker 1: is a possibility in original street play that people don't
Speaker 1: see coming. Yeah. I mean, but but you know again,
Speaker 1: it's it's a script that you you notice, you know,
Speaker 1: because I think La La Land part of its virtue
Speaker 1: is that it looks effortless. It looks, you know, if
Speaker 1: looks like it just happened, um and um. And with
Speaker 1: with Hell or High Water and with with Manchester, you
Speaker 1: could tell somebody sat down to feel the technique. Yeah, yeah,
Speaker 1: you feel that, which which you know. But I think
Speaker 1: you're probably right now, Chris. I am finally letting go
Speaker 1: of Tom Hanks getting an Oscar nomination this year. I
Speaker 1: think maybe you should let go of Hell or High
Speaker 1: Water winning anything this year. I've never what do you
Speaker 1: mean you really think it could win Original screen Play?
Speaker 1: Have I harped on that? I don't. I don't think
Speaker 1: it's harped on. No, I'm just saying that I do.
Speaker 1: I think I think that's a lurking thing. Yeah, because
Speaker 1: that movie has gone over well with like, let's say it,
Speaker 1: the older white male demographic in the Academy, and it's
Speaker 1: it's picking up you know, Best Picture votes, and I
Speaker 1: don't know, I just think it's something that's Hey, I
Speaker 1: told you all thirteen Hours was going to be nominator something. Yeah. No,
Speaker 1: I mean, you know, I'll never question you again. What
Speaker 1: about the screen? I am now convinced it will be
Speaker 1: Moonlight since it one the WJ and Original, although for
Speaker 1: a long time I was thinking Arrival and Lyne and
Speaker 1: even Hidden Figure you sneak in there. Yeah. No, I mean,
Speaker 1: I mean, you know, a lot of these very strong categories.
Speaker 1: But but I do think it's it's Moonlight. Yeah. I
Speaker 1: mean winning the w g A against Layla Land in
Speaker 1: Manchester was a huge boon, and and I'm thrilled we
Speaker 1: all think Viola is winning supporting actress. I mean, is
Speaker 1: there even when I mean, if I if you were
Speaker 1: the person who beat Viola when you come, I would
Speaker 1: stay in my seat. No, I mean, you know, I
Speaker 1: mean there's always surprises with oscars, so I think it's possible.
Speaker 1: But I'm telling you, if I had to have pissed
Speaker 1: somebody off. If I were betting money on the Oscars,
Speaker 1: that is the one category, the one wind that I
Speaker 1: would bet money because, I mean, she's electric, you know,
Speaker 1: it's you know, it's also got the narrative she's over you. Yeah,
Speaker 1: it seems it's like it's been unquestioned all year, like,
Speaker 1: oh yeah, Viola. Did you see Sam Jackson's rant about
Speaker 1: how that's not a supporting role. Yeah, he's not wrong.
Speaker 1: She would have won lead to by the way, convinced.
Speaker 1: I kind of think so too. It would have been
Speaker 1: Denzel and Viola either way. Yeah, I think let's talk
Speaker 1: about best Actor, the best Actor. I think it's Denzel.
Speaker 1: He won the SAG Award. I'm think you know, I've
Speaker 1: been saying I was saying him even before. Yes, so
Speaker 1: were we. We thought it was a lock for the
Speaker 1: longest time. Yeah, yeah, I mean I drifted away just
Speaker 1: because Casey was so dominant in the well. I mean,
Speaker 1: Casey is excellent, he could win Best Actor, But I
Speaker 1: think going against what SAG picked is sort of foolish.
Speaker 1: I'm going with Sag in each category. I'm going with
Speaker 1: the Stone also, Yeah, Emma Stone. I mean, who could
Speaker 1: even be mart. I'm sticking with my harshal Alley and
Speaker 1: I'm really nervous. You're nervous. If he doesn't win, there's
Speaker 1: gonna be some screaming coming from Culver City. Yeah, that's
Speaker 1: probably the one I'm most invested in, although I mean,
Speaker 1: come on, that category is Dev Patel is amazing. Michael Shannon,
Speaker 1: Jeff Bridges, Lucas Hedges, these are all great actors. But
Speaker 1: I just love from Michael Shannon to win. That speech
Speaker 1: would be it'd be in the eazing. But you don't
Speaker 1: have to wait a little while. He's just gonna have
Speaker 1: to be content with continuously surprising us with his nomination.
Speaker 1: Michael Shannon will be just fine. He'll be He'll be
Speaker 1: back in a year probably and we can see his
Speaker 1: speech then. Cinematography, Uh La Land Lena's Yeah, Yeah, I
Speaker 1: think I think so too. Yeah A s c went
Speaker 1: to Lyon but slightly surprising but not terribly Yeah, um
Speaker 1: La La Land won the bath too. I'm picking La
Speaker 1: La costume design. Costume design is Jackie La La Land, Lion,
Speaker 1: Moonlight and Passengers. Wait no, sorry, that's original score. I
Speaker 1: was like, that's an interesting lineup. I was like, wait,
Speaker 1: that can't be right. It is Jackie, Florence Foster, Jenkins,
Speaker 1: La La land You. I can't even find it. Oh
Speaker 1: here it is, yeah, allied fantastic to find jack and Lalla.
Speaker 1: I'm kind of leaning towards Fantastic Beasts really yeah. I mean, look,
Speaker 1: I I like daring predictions, although I think it's La
Speaker 1: La land um. You know, I mean, you know, the
Speaker 1: conventional wisdom says, oh yeah, modern contemporary costumes ever again,
Speaker 1: but you notice the costumes in there, you know, I
Speaker 1: mean they're very striking. Really well yeah, well I think, well, Jackie,
Speaker 1: I mean that's amazing work. I mean it's a hard category.
Speaker 1: It's not obvious costume porn anywhere. Lae Costor Jenkins has
Speaker 1: some beautiful costumes. But the remember the four Front I
Speaker 1: remember the main one at the end, remember like the
Speaker 1: angel thing, Yeah something, But like I think that's a
Speaker 1: lurking possibility actually, but I'm gonna go with Jackie. I think, yeah,
Speaker 1: the best thing about Fantastic Beast and where to find
Speaker 1: them is the costumes. I'd say the production design actually,
Speaker 1: which I think has a possible shot at winning won
Speaker 1: the BAFTA UM although it lost its category at the
Speaker 1: Art Director's Guild to Passengers, Well, here's the thing about
Speaker 1: production design, and we have a rival fantastic beasts Hail Caesar,
Speaker 1: La La Land and Passengers have David and Sandy wasco
Speaker 1: ever one before. That's insane to me. They're nominated this
Speaker 1: year for La La Land. They did, Um, we're all
Speaker 1: tennant bonds. They do all Quentin Tarantino's movies. Talk about
Speaker 1: over too. Yeah, like I'm picking Yeah, yeah, although I
Speaker 1: mean I don't know. Did you see Hail Caesar? Of course,
Speaker 1: I mean that would be my personal choice. I mean
Speaker 1: it's so it's so amazing, and you know again that
Speaker 1: that was done in a very limited budget. Um, well,
Speaker 1: Passengers is great too. Well yeah, yeah, I'm going with
Speaker 1: law Land. With Arrival of the Spoiler, I think really
Speaker 1: like a place where you could award it and it
Speaker 1: does have like some iconic already. Yeah. So, um, do
Speaker 1: you want to films or have you guys seen the shorts?
Speaker 1: You know, I've only seen some of the Yeah, um,
Speaker 1: so directing, directing, is there any question? I don't think so,
Speaker 1: Damien Hill at least whever. Yeah, I mean, you know,
Speaker 1: I mean there's always upsets, but I think it's not
Speaker 1: going to be in that. What's the record the youngest
Speaker 1: okay five years? Um, yeah, and so deserved picture. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I'm gonna go with oh, don't even oh, I got Yeah,
Speaker 1: did we miss anything? We did? We missed? Documentary feature?
Speaker 1: Documentary feature. Well, that's an interesting category. Yes, I am
Speaker 1: sticking with thet I'm trusting people to do the right
Speaker 1: thing and recognize that O J Made in America is
Speaker 1: not a movie as possible. I mean, but I mean,
Speaker 1: I will say I think this has been an amazing
Speaker 1: year for documentary year. Those five terrific, but there's also
Speaker 1: like another dozen that we're really amazing that weren't not. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I kind of think you're right. I kind of think
Speaker 1: it's thirteen. But um, I mean I am not your
Speaker 1: Negro Life, Animated Fire at Sea, these are these are
Speaker 1: all really good. Yeah, I don't. I don't have the
Speaker 1: guts to be too uh adventurous here, So I'm gonna
Speaker 1: go with OJ. You know what we fort was foreignlanguage film,
Speaker 1: just foreign film. I think, like I said, I think
Speaker 1: a man called Ova is going to be there, you
Speaker 1: thinkin Yeah, I mean, it's just it's the most palatable
Speaker 1: of the nominees. It's uh, you know, it's charming. I
Speaker 1: think it's like I just was talking to somebody. I
Speaker 1: call it like the palatable Tony Erdman. Actually, you know,
Speaker 1: it takes Tony Erdman an hour and a half to
Speaker 1: get going right, like man called Ova. It's really hits.
Speaker 1: It strided early, and it's charming and you know that
Speaker 1: it's a dark comedy and all that. Actually it would
Speaker 1: be my personal pick probably, but I think it's going
Speaker 1: to be the Salesman on as a legit like this
Speaker 1: is what we think protests. I'm sure protest doesn't hurt,
Speaker 1: and the fact that the title is out there because
Speaker 1: of the protests, But I mean, you know, he's also
Speaker 1: a great filmmaker, and people genuinely do love that movie.
Speaker 1: So you think I mean, I I think it's it's
Speaker 1: Salesman too by exactly for the same reasons you did.
Speaker 1: I think. I think, I think it's a really good film,
Speaker 1: and I think people can vote for it with a
Speaker 1: clear conscience. But the topicality of it, it's like a
Speaker 1: little bonus. You know. We skipped the music, yes, Lala
Speaker 1: Land and both the original Storm song. Which song is
Speaker 1: the question? City of Stars, City of Stars. Yeah, it's
Speaker 1: not the best of the two songs nominated. It's not
Speaker 1: Auditions the best of the of the two nominated. I think,
Speaker 1: did you like Audition best of all the songs in
Speaker 1: the movie? No? No, Another Day I've Done is my favorite,
Speaker 1: and I also like the opening is my favorite. Somewhere
Speaker 1: in the Crowd is a great song. That's the one
Speaker 1: just goes on. But I also like the John Legend
Speaker 1: start a Fire song that is so damn catchy and
Speaker 1: I have been caught in my car singing along that.
Speaker 1: But but see, I love the audition, So I mean,
Speaker 1: you know, I don't want to be a spoiler for
Speaker 1: anybody who hasn't seen the movie, but it's you know,
Speaker 1: it's three quarters of the way through it. But I
Speaker 1: feel like that that one song kind of sums up
Speaker 1: the whole movie. Yeah, that's that's not the kind although
Speaker 1: it's not something that you would expect to hear a
Speaker 1: lot of covers of and in the next ten years.
Speaker 1: By the way, um, I don't know if you read
Speaker 1: my piece about the anatomy of the song, but you
Speaker 1: know the song um City of Stars, which was originally
Speaker 1: written from a stone to sing and then they realized
Speaker 1: she had this big number at the end with Audition,
Speaker 1: and it kind of took away from the power of it,
Speaker 1: and um Sebastian Ryan Goslin's character really needed his own number,
Speaker 1: so they sort of transferred it over to him better
Speaker 1: with it does John Legend will be performing both. He
Speaker 1: is he's performing audition. Oh miss that? No? Yeah, yeah,
Speaker 1: he's performing both. I okay, it seems weird, right, like
Speaker 1: very weird. The City of Stars. I can see him
Speaker 1: singing audition like yeah, I mean, I wouldn't see what
Speaker 1: he does with it. I guess I don't think he's
Speaker 1: not going to sing the whole song, probably right, Oh,
Speaker 1: you might be right, Like maybe he'll do part of that.
Speaker 1: I kind of hope he does. I hope he does
Speaker 1: it acapella, sing the whole song, because why would you
Speaker 1: just do a medley of those because they're gonna sing
Speaker 1: all of the others. I'm sure, are you? Because remember
Speaker 1: was it last year they no, this has been announced? Yeah,
Speaker 1: men was gonna sing the Moana song and what are
Speaker 1: the other two nominees? Oh? Yeah, is going to sing
Speaker 1: his song. So some years they've done a medally five
Speaker 1: songs all at once and stuff like that. But they
Speaker 1: did the Dreamgirls medley of the three well, there was
Speaker 1: a big controvert one. It was that big. But a
Speaker 1: couple of years ago when they didn't or was it
Speaker 1: last year when they when they when they cut, they
Speaker 1: cut two of them. They cut the song from mantur
Speaker 1: Rage and it was just strictly because they were not
Speaker 1: well known performers, which is ridiculous because talk about a
Speaker 1: song that's like integral to the plot, Youth that that
Speaker 1: song was the movie. I didn't like that movie, but
Speaker 1: I thought the song was the category should be exactly. Yeah.
Speaker 1: I think that's all of them and we've gone along. Yeah,
Speaker 1: so every ones like get it over. No, people are
Speaker 1: dying and there our opinions. Um, so what did we
Speaker 1: decide for it for a song? Yeah, okay, yeah, yeah,
Speaker 1: definitely all right. I think we're on the record for
Speaker 1: everything now. I don't think we missed were voting his clothes,
Speaker 1: so nobody can be angry with that's true. That's true.
Speaker 1: Wait animated film so Utopia oh oh yeah yeah obviously
Speaker 1: yeah yeah, going out on a limb with Yeah, you
Speaker 1: should have been nominated the best which was fun. Yeah.
Speaker 1: So the show is Sunday. Any last thoughts. I mean,
Speaker 1: you know, we could talk about how political do we
Speaker 1: think the acceptance speeches are going to get, but that's
Speaker 1: that's a whole nineties. I hope Jimmy presses the buttons.
Speaker 1: I'm sure he will. Like My prediction is he drops
Speaker 1: an F bomb? Really sure? Why not? Just one? Just one? Yeah?
Speaker 1: I don't know what else we have to say here,
Speaker 1: but anyway, those are a predictions. Enjoy the show. Thanks
Speaker 1: for coming on show, Tim, Congratulations to both of you
Speaker 1: for exhausting Oscar season. I mean seriously, but did great work.
Speaker 1: Thank you so much. And uh oh, by the way,
Speaker 1: I should probably tell everyone who I'm about to talk
Speaker 1: to on the show. I'm so excited, just so you know.
Speaker 1: This isn't like strictly an awards season thing. This should
Speaker 1: make it clear that we're gonna keep it going in
Speaker 1: the off season. I'm talking to Jordan Peel from Get Out.
Speaker 1: Oh my god, so exciting. Yeah, that is excited. Did
Speaker 1: you see get No, I haven't seen you seen it soon,
Speaker 1: I've seen it tonight. Yes, I cannot wait. This movie
Speaker 1: has been eluding me and I have been in love
Speaker 1: with it since the trailer it's pretty twisted, but anyway,
Speaker 1: stay tuned for Jordan right after this. You got your too?
Speaker 1: Do you have your own do you have your cozy clothes?
Speaker 1: Did you know him? Black? Should? You might wanta you
Speaker 1: mom and dad. My black boyfriend will be coming up
Speaker 1: this weekend. I just don't want you to be shocked.
Speaker 1: But he's a black man. I I've never seen you
Speaker 1: like this before. Broamily and take a road trip. Don't
Speaker 1: come back, old bis, come back, get your day of
Speaker 1: pants up to your damn stomach. Anything. So you guys
Speaker 1: coming up from the city. Yeah, we're just heading up
Speaker 1: for the weekend. Can I see your license? Please? He
Speaker 1: wasn't driving. I didn't ask who was driving. I asked
Speaker 1: to see his I d come back and be so
Speaker 1: look I go do it my restarch. Apparently a whole
Speaker 1: bunch of brother has been missing in this suburb. But
Speaker 1: it's cool, Grond, you're not scared of this man. You
Speaker 1: can see no brother among you. Chris was just telling
Speaker 1: me how he felt much more comfortable with my being Yo.
Speaker 1: Sorry man, get out, Yo, it's a terrible things to me.
Speaker 1: Welcome back everyone. I'm here with the writer and director
Speaker 1: of Get Out. You know I'm from Matt d v
Speaker 1: Ky and Peel Jordan Peel. Thanks for coming on the
Speaker 1: show Man. Thanks you really having me. Uh, this movie
Speaker 1: is messed up, which is the reaction you want? I
Speaker 1: would imagine that's what That's what I'm looking for. We're
Speaker 1: gonna talk about it deeply in a second, but before
Speaker 1: I want to talk about Sundance, Because you went to
Speaker 1: Sundance with this movie and had the big kind of
Speaker 1: surprise unveiling and all of that. What was that like
Speaker 1: for you? Oh? That was surreal. I mean it's such
Speaker 1: an honor. You know, it's like, you know, I'm such
Speaker 1: a film geek, such a movie buff, and you know
Speaker 1: you said you can't really you know when when you
Speaker 1: when you're dreaming of you know what it might be
Speaker 1: like if you get to make a movie you don't include, Like, yeah,
Speaker 1: you might get to go to Sundance. Um, it was cool.
Speaker 1: It was a blizzard and it felt like that wasn't
Speaker 1: up there, but I heard it. I felt like scat
Speaker 1: Man Cruthers and the shining like trying to get to
Speaker 1: little Danny Torrence. Um, he says that what he's wearing
Speaker 1: an a look hotel. I'm I'm right now, and yeah,
Speaker 1: I'm totally I'm totally encased in Uh the shining swag?
Speaker 1: What was? What? Did you feel the love up there? Was?
Speaker 1: Because I wish I could have been there when I
Speaker 1: heard that it was gonna screen, but it had to
Speaker 1: be a fun crowd for that. I did feel the love.
Speaker 1: You know. I've seen the movie several times in different theaters,
Speaker 1: and the most satisfying thing is like that, you know,
Speaker 1: everybody's kind of united with their reactions. Um. I think
Speaker 1: the scares get get jolts, the laughs get laughs, the
Speaker 1: cheers get cheers um pretty consistently, and sun dance. You know,
Speaker 1: you can just feel that excitement in the air that
Speaker 1: they knew when they were the first to get to
Speaker 1: see this movie. Uh. You know, I read something recently
Speaker 1: somebody said that writing comedy and writing horror are not
Speaker 1: too far afield because they exercise the same muscles, you know,
Speaker 1: like fear and security aren't too far from each other.
Speaker 1: It's kind of the point. I'm curious if if that's
Speaker 1: how you found it. I mean, obviously this is a
Speaker 1: a comedy horror film and in its way, but it's
Speaker 1: it has you know, that's there's something too that I
Speaker 1: feel like the exercising the same kind of muscles with
Speaker 1: both forms. So it felt like the comedy education that
Speaker 1: I got I've gotten the last you know, decade or
Speaker 1: so worked perfectly in this film. Um. You know, I
Speaker 1: feel that both horror and laughter are ways we we
Speaker 1: face our demons, way ways that we deal with our
Speaker 1: fears of death in a way, um, it's about tension, tension, tension,
Speaker 1: and then release with a certain pinpoint precision and um,
Speaker 1: you know in the in in a way, the tension, tension,
Speaker 1: tension and release is kind of a a metaphor for
Speaker 1: life and death in a way. You know, we spend
Speaker 1: our whole lot ives fearing the ultimate absurdity, which is
Speaker 1: that this is a temporary That's right, that's right, that's true. Uh.
Speaker 1: I went to the You had the kind of premiere
Speaker 1: in L A l A live screening your head that
Speaker 1: last week, and you said beforehand that for you, uh,
Speaker 1: growing up race was like a nightmare. That was how
Speaker 1: you put it, and you wanted to put this nightmare
Speaker 1: on the screen. What it got me thinking was what
Speaker 1: was the chicken and the egg? Like, did you want
Speaker 1: to make a movie with those themes in mind? And
Speaker 1: then you kind of gravitated into a horror film or
Speaker 1: did you want to make a horror film? And these
Speaker 1: are the themes that came up that you wanted to
Speaker 1: explore within that I wanted to make a horror film. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I just you know, I've I've I've I've had the
Speaker 1: dream of being a director since I was since I
Speaker 1: was younger, being specifically a horror director. And um, you know,
Speaker 1: part of the process of figuring out what I could
Speaker 1: bring to the genre that would be of any worth
Speaker 1: or anything I would be proud of. Um, you know,
Speaker 1: I I realized that I've sort of done enough thinking
Speaker 1: about race, enough work in the comedy space about you know,
Speaker 1: walking that line how to deal with race and art,
Speaker 1: that I was kind of uniquely equipped to deal with it. Um,
Speaker 1: you know, I think, you know, yeah, not only is
Speaker 1: race a nightmare for me, you know, I think that
Speaker 1: the greater point is that, um, you know, race in
Speaker 1: this country is is a and in the world is
Speaker 1: this human demon. It is a monster that we is
Speaker 1: in our d n A. And so I just felt
Speaker 1: like race was I realized it's if anyone was going
Speaker 1: to make a modern move horror movie about race, it
Speaker 1: should be me. Did you figure feel yourself like, were
Speaker 1: your self governing it all? Like, oh that's too far,
Speaker 1: I need to pull back on that. Or did you
Speaker 1: just kind of let yourself go as far as you
Speaker 1: felt like you wanted to go. It's it's yeah, it's
Speaker 1: all self governed. Really, you know, it's you ask yourself,
Speaker 1: you know a lot of questions. But ultimately, um, you know,
Speaker 1: you sort of realize that you can't write a movie
Speaker 1: with the um taking into too far into consideration how
Speaker 1: how the people will react to it, whether or not
Speaker 1: you can sell this movie. Um, I really wrote this
Speaker 1: movie for myself. UM, to say, look, this is gonna
Speaker 1: be a fun project to write. It is Um if
Speaker 1: I was right, a movie, my favorite movie that doesn't
Speaker 1: exist yet? What is that movie? And I just followed
Speaker 1: that um fun Um. You know it's kind of you know,
Speaker 1: it's how I imagine um Tarantino works. It was one
Speaker 1: of the great like you know, you can just tell
Speaker 1: he's not making a movie for anyone else. He's making
Speaker 1: the movie he wishes. Um someone wants. Yeah. Uh, you
Speaker 1: mentioned you were you were a horror from fan to
Speaker 1: begin with, you know, beyond obviously shining I imagine, what
Speaker 1: are some of your favorites. Uh, so you know, talking
Speaker 1: about him a lot, but Rosemary's Baby and The Stepford
Speaker 1: Wives are just you know, total classics and and um
Speaker 1: thrillers that are in a model that doesn't often get
Speaker 1: UM visited because I think it's it's it's tough to
Speaker 1: write movies like that. Um. I love Candy Man, I
Speaker 1: love Nightmare eld Street. Yeah. Also like another one of
Speaker 1: the rare movies that yeah, horrifying and and and it
Speaker 1: you know, based on this amazing UM short story by
Speaker 1: Clive Barker. Of course, um the film version touched on
Speaker 1: race in a way that was pretty novel to me. Um.
Speaker 1: We were in this era for a while where the
Speaker 1: monsters and horror movies where the main characters. Right, we
Speaker 1: were in this like Freddie Jason, Mike Myers, this sequel thing,
Speaker 1: and so you know, the opportunity to have a black
Speaker 1: monster or was a pretty revolutionary and it still is.
Speaker 1: Tony Todd, right, Tony Todd. And then I remember like
Speaker 1: a few years later there was this movie Wishmaster, and
Speaker 1: like didn't that have like all of them, Like Tony
Speaker 1: Todd was in it, and h the guy that played
Speaker 1: Jason I think was in it. It was just this
Speaker 1: weird I think it was that movie we had a
Speaker 1: bunch of I saw that one in the theater. Um,
Speaker 1: it was no candy Man, let's say the least about
Speaker 1: leprecaon Jennifer Aniston, you know Anniston's first film. Um. You know, yeah,
Speaker 1: it was weird. It was a weird zone for horror.
Speaker 1: And you know, I think sort of opened up by
Speaker 1: you know, well, first Psycho, but then you know, the
Speaker 1: the Stalker films of the late seventies and early eighties
Speaker 1: opened up this idea that we as the audience could
Speaker 1: relate to the killer in this weird way, and and
Speaker 1: that we we sort of cheer the you know, sort
Speaker 1: of hate the victims and very very kind of alarming,
Speaker 1: uh climate for horror for for a kid to grow
Speaker 1: up in, especially um and and very interesting that we
Speaker 1: we sort of as a you know, you know when
Speaker 1: you see when you see the trends of horror movies
Speaker 1: take off or or connect, um, it is because there's
Speaker 1: something in the zeitgeist that is is propelling that that
Speaker 1: need you know that that the the that that that
Speaker 1: demon is something that we have to deal with. So yeah,
Speaker 1: very very interesting that that era of horror exists. Uh.
Speaker 1: I wonder if you could kind of throw out like
Speaker 1: the log line here, I'm I'm scared too. I don't
Speaker 1: want to like it's a very spoilable movie, very so.
Speaker 1: So I'm sure you've perfected it by now. But let
Speaker 1: the people know what what the movie is about. Well,
Speaker 1: you know in space it's it's it's the horror version
Speaker 1: of guests Who's coming to Dinner. It's a simple way
Speaker 1: to look at it. It UM. It is about an
Speaker 1: interracial couple that goes to meet um, the white girlfriend's
Speaker 1: parents house, and and it explores this sort of feeling
Speaker 1: of the alienation that the that Chris the lead, feels
Speaker 1: of being the other. And uh, as the movie goes on,
Speaker 1: it inches towards this inevitable UM finale that is darker
Speaker 1: than UM anyone could have predicted. Which is why I said,
Speaker 1: has messed up in a good way. I'm curious. You know,
Speaker 1: we talked about these movies that you loved. How did
Speaker 1: they inspire you? Especially visually when you have visual ideas
Speaker 1: for the movie, when you're working with your DP Toby Oliver,
Speaker 1: and you're you're kind of coming up with ways to
Speaker 1: inform the visual storytelling, like what what what did you
Speaker 1: guys look at if anything? Like talk to me about that.
Speaker 1: Several things. I mean, certainly we looked at the idyllic
Speaker 1: nature of Stepford Wives and the beauty of the Overload
Speaker 1: Hotel and Shining Um, we looked at uh, you know,
Speaker 1: Polanski's use of shadow and Rosemary's Baby. Um. You know. Also,
Speaker 1: something that was very important to me and I think
Speaker 1: we will continue to be in cinema is the idea
Speaker 1: of depth. Um. It's one of the great illusions that
Speaker 1: a film can make is that you know, there's there's
Speaker 1: depth to this screen. So you know, there's a scene
Speaker 1: where Walter's running at Chris in the middle of the night,
Speaker 1: and there's a very visceral sort of reaction that the
Speaker 1: audience I think has you sort of sinking your seat
Speaker 1: at this guy coming towards you. And that's you know,
Speaker 1: that's of course, like you know, what what what what?
Speaker 1: What was it where they had the train, you know,
Speaker 1: one of the first great train robbery, Like they thought
Speaker 1: it was coming through the screen. It's a visceral thing. Also,
Speaker 1: you know the planes in the plane in north By Northwest, Um,
Speaker 1: you know. I I think it's important to take advantage
Speaker 1: of the the depth and how how how deep, how
Speaker 1: the illusion of seeing something far away in a movie. Uh.
Speaker 1: Was there ever a moment where you thought about playing
Speaker 1: the lead or was it always something you wanted to direct?
Speaker 1: You know, the people brought it up to me from
Speaker 1: time to time. It was it was always something I
Speaker 1: an idea. I rejected, um, first of all, because you know,
Speaker 1: I don't I just don't think I'm right for the movie. Uh.
Speaker 1: I have too much of a comedic connotation first of all.
Speaker 1: But I'm also I'm too old and I'm not good
Speaker 1: enough as an acts. This guy well you know, hey,
Speaker 1: it's if I could do what Daniel Kluya does in
Speaker 1: this film, I would be doing it. He's fantastic. What
Speaker 1: brought you to him? Was he uh high on the list?
Speaker 1: I guess yeah he was? He was. He was. He
Speaker 1: was the highest on the list from the beginning, and
Speaker 1: he was you know, his Black Mirror episode was um,
Speaker 1: uh just amazing performance. And then seeing him in Sicario
Speaker 1: was great. Uh. You know, the search for for who
Speaker 1: Chris was I think began with a skype with him.
Speaker 1: Um and um, you know, my only My only doubt
Speaker 1: about casting him was that he was He's British American
Speaker 1: and you know, did feel important to me to um,
Speaker 1: you know, represent a distinctly African American point of view.
Speaker 1: But after talking to him, UM, you know, he's opened
Speaker 1: my mind a little bit on how, yes, we have
Speaker 1: a you know, somewhat of a unique relationship to race
Speaker 1: in this country, but UM that the idea of race,
Speaker 1: the idea of the other, um is a really universally
Speaker 1: human thing. And they have you know, very you know
Speaker 1: parallel stories UM civil rights uh questions UM in England
Speaker 1: as well. UM. And you know what's great about him too,
Speaker 1: is he's he's a great like reactor, like you know,
Speaker 1: just how he'll give a look or like absorbment from
Speaker 1: me when you're watching him absorb something that's going on
Speaker 1: around him. Like he's really good at that, I find.
Speaker 1: And that's that's crucial in this movie. Obviously so crucial
Speaker 1: because you know when he you know, we get we
Speaker 1: get on the set and we're sort of realizing, you know, Daniel,
Speaker 1: his character that doesn't have as many lines as you
Speaker 1: would expect a lead of a movie to to have.
Speaker 1: He's you know, he's put in this awkward position where, um,
Speaker 1: you know, he's he's at his possibly his future in laws,
Speaker 1: um house, and so you know, everything that goes on
Speaker 1: in his mind has to sort of happen internally, and um,
Speaker 1: and it does. He's so good at being in the moment,
Speaker 1: and we can sort of read, um, read his face
Speaker 1: in a way that allows each and every member of
Speaker 1: the audience to feel aligned with what's going what what
Speaker 1: he's dealing with. Uh. I understand your mom saw the movie.
Speaker 1: And I asked, because by racial your mom's white, So
Speaker 1: I'm very curious what she thought of the film. Um.
Speaker 1: She she loved it. She um, you know, she she
Speaker 1: you know gets it. And obviously I'm proud that everybody
Speaker 1: so far who's seen the movie seems to get it. Um.
Speaker 1: But you know, it's you know, my mother, Um, you know,
Speaker 1: she's she's my number one fan. Um. It's like like
Speaker 1: Cathy Bates and misery. Like sometimes I'm literally not allowed
Speaker 1: to leave the house now. Um, yeah, she totally if
Speaker 1: she's a mommy dearist, she she ate it up. She
Speaker 1: she introduced me to horror to an extent, and she
Speaker 1: was one of the first people who, you know, I
Speaker 1: think when telling me about Rosemary's Baby, um younger as
Speaker 1: in it was a you know phenomenon. It was a
Speaker 1: book phenomenon um as a novel before it was a
Speaker 1: a film and uh, you know she was telling me,
Speaker 1: you know it has it captures some quality that she
Speaker 1: related to about, you know, when she was pregnant with me,
Speaker 1: where there are these feelings of UM insecurity, UM paranoia,
Speaker 1: UM or perceived paranoia or doubt UM. So uh, you know,
Speaker 1: I don't know I that that that meant something very power,
Speaker 1: something I just remember as a kid that you can
Speaker 1: capture um A, you can capture a feeling, you can
Speaker 1: capture uh an identity and a uh a person's true
Speaker 1: fears that they feel like maybe only they have UM
Speaker 1: with A with a film. Yeah, definitely. I had kennethna
Speaker 1: get in here last week on the show talking about
Speaker 1: Manchester by the Sea, and that explains why you're not
Speaker 1: phased by my celebrity at all. You're as very cool
Speaker 1: as a cucumber. You're dealing with dealing with here, he's amazing. Yeah.
Speaker 1: Well he was telling me that, you know, he wrote
Speaker 1: Manchester not expecting to direct it. Uh, and then over
Speaker 1: time he came to be the director. So he found
Speaker 1: that he had written himself into a number of corners
Speaker 1: as a director. Uh, now he had to solve problems
Speaker 1: that he didn't expect to have to solve. I'm just
Speaker 1: curious if if you discovered that kind of a thing,
Speaker 1: like when you wrote the script, did you find that
Speaker 1: you had written yourself into like some tricky scenarios that
Speaker 1: you suddenly had to figure out as a director on
Speaker 1: the set, and you think come to mind like that, Yeah, maybe, uh,
Speaker 1: maybe slightly. You know, I did have a similar experience
Speaker 1: where I wrote the movie. I didn't think anyone was
Speaker 1: going to make the movie. Um, and then when it
Speaker 1: was when when it was begune when I when I
Speaker 1: or I had come up with the idea, and then
Speaker 1: you know it was it was bought off of a pitch.
Speaker 1: I started writing it halfway through the script realized that
Speaker 1: was the guy who needed to direct this movie. Um.
Speaker 1: By the time we shot, you know, I I had
Speaker 1: it pretty worked out. But it's it is a movie
Speaker 1: that really anywhere, any wrong choice, any wrong um piece
Speaker 1: of the narrative risks either giving something away or frustrating
Speaker 1: the audience because because of the the you know, we
Speaker 1: we want the lead character to be as smart and
Speaker 1: observant as we feel like we we would be in
Speaker 1: this situation. So a lot of the cleanup work was
Speaker 1: based on, Okay, how do I how do I keep
Speaker 1: us trusting that we're in good hands with this protagonist? Um?
Speaker 1: And that that that um, you know that that contained
Speaker 1: a little tweaking on, you know, of of all the characters,
Speaker 1: occasionally constantly having my mind on that. And I'm sure
Speaker 1: the answer to this question is numerous things. But is
Speaker 1: there anything specific that stands out that you learned on
Speaker 1: this first go edit that you know you're gonna cling
Speaker 1: to going forward with future projects. Yeah, I mean there's
Speaker 1: a ton. I learned so much. I learned that, Um,
Speaker 1: any any problem that arises is an opportunity to make
Speaker 1: a really great decision. Um So when when when? When? When?
Speaker 1: When those problems arise, cherished them, worshiped them. You know,
Speaker 1: look at what Spielberg did with Jaws, right, the shark
Speaker 1: didn't work and so he ended up making the best
Speaker 1: movie of all time because of that. UM. Uh So
Speaker 1: there's that um and uh yeah, just a general sense
Speaker 1: of it's it's at the end of the day, it's
Speaker 1: like it's a collaborative process, but it's got to rise
Speaker 1: and fall on your vision and um, you can't you
Speaker 1: can't make any sort of conceit that you'll regret for
Speaker 1: the rest of your life. And a big part of
Speaker 1: this equation obviously is the bloom House and those guys
Speaker 1: have figured something out because they're they're crushing it. Uh absolutely,
Speaker 1: what were they like as partners on this and and
Speaker 1: uh you know it was there was was did Jason,
Speaker 1: you know, did did they teach you something? As well
Speaker 1: as throughout the whole Yeah, I mean was a perfect
Speaker 1: um producer for this movie for many reasons. First and foremost, Um,
Speaker 1: you know, they've created a model that allows you know,
Speaker 1: untapped voices and perspectives like myself to make the movie
Speaker 1: we want to make um. And so you know within that,
Speaker 1: you know there's a there's a protection there, um because
Speaker 1: it is you know, that's that's just that's just how
Speaker 1: they work. And then um, you know, there's also just
Speaker 1: a great advantage to having someone like Jason in your
Speaker 1: corner because he is he's a character, he has an
Speaker 1: infectious energy said, I's got a lot of energy. Yeah, yeah,
Speaker 1: it's And if you meet him. It's it's no secret
Speaker 1: why he's it's it's no secret, no mistake why he
Speaker 1: has created this absolutely massively successful empire, because, um, he's
Speaker 1: a he's just a force of nature. He's a he's
Speaker 1: a moving train, and um, he's he's one that it's
Speaker 1: it's good to be in the caboose of That doesn't
Speaker 1: sound that's an interesting way to write it when I
Speaker 1: frame it, phrase it like that, but you know, and
Speaker 1: metaphorically I get it. I get it. Good to be
Speaker 1: in Jayson Bloom's caboose. Don't paraphrase. We'll just well, well
Speaker 1: you can delete stuff from this, right, but I'm keeping that. Uh,
Speaker 1: what do you want to do going forward as a director?
Speaker 1: Do you do you want to stay in the genre?
Speaker 1: Do you want to move out? Do other things? Like
Speaker 1: what what kind of stuff do you have on deck?
Speaker 1: I want to stay in the genre. Nice, I've got um.
Speaker 1: You know, while I was developing this movie, I was
Speaker 1: also simultaneously developing four other projects that I call social thrillers. Um.
Speaker 1: Each one is meant to deal with a different human demon,
Speaker 1: a different uh monster that sort of works underneath the
Speaker 1: way we interact with one another as human beings. So um, yeah,
Speaker 1: so I hope to uh soon direct another one of
Speaker 1: the social thrillers. It's not going to be about race.
Speaker 1: It will be about something else, but um, it's gonna
Speaker 1: be very cinematic and fun. Cool. Socio political stuff though
Speaker 1: is kind of top of mind those It's kind of
Speaker 1: just feel like the you know, you to come up
Speaker 1: with the perfect monster for a horror movie, Um, we
Speaker 1: really need to look no further than the monster that
Speaker 1: is all of us. Um, you know, not not so
Speaker 1: much an individual psycho killer, but um, the the humanity
Speaker 1: that gets lost between us, which makes me this my
Speaker 1: last question, uh, you know, kind of going back to
Speaker 1: the theme of race, but you know broader as well.
Speaker 1: Not to be labor this particular point, but we have
Speaker 1: I think, an objectively bigoted chief executive right now. So
Speaker 1: just curious, like, what do you think the role of
Speaker 1: I was gonna say comedy, because you know, I came
Speaker 1: to comedy. I came to key imp Peel late in
Speaker 1: the game, Like I think I started watching it a
Speaker 1: couple of months before you announced that it was going
Speaker 1: to be finished, which was a bomber man. But you know,
Speaker 1: you guys did some important stuff in the socio political
Speaker 1: realm with that show. So what do you think the
Speaker 1: importance of art of comedy, of you know, what you
Speaker 1: what you do is going to be underneath this particular regime,
Speaker 1: if you will, Well, I think it's extremely important. I
Speaker 1: think I think um art, I feel like comedy, horror, um,
Speaker 1: the art of storytelling, Uh, really are such key pieces
Speaker 1: of the conversation. And you know, the conversation as a
Speaker 1: as an as a concept is is really it's all
Speaker 1: we have to combat the real life horrors of violence
Speaker 1: and of um neglect and how we treat each other.
Speaker 1: So I just think that you can't you can't um
Speaker 1: overstate um, how how important comedy and story and horror are.
Speaker 1: Do you miss Kim Peele? Yeah? I miss Key and Peele.
Speaker 1: I missed playing Obama. Well now I'll whip that out
Speaker 1: in the time someone asked for it. So no, clearly
Speaker 1: I'm shameless. Um, I miss I miss Obama in the
Speaker 1: White House. Um. But yeah, you know Key, you know
Speaker 1: Keegan and I we we we were bicoastal right now,
Speaker 1: so you know, I feel like I got my brother
Speaker 1: in New York and I'm here in l A. We
Speaker 1: we will connect again. Awesome we'll look forward to that
Speaker 1: and uh, maybe you could do like a funnier die
Speaker 1: thing with Obama on vacation when all this ship has
Speaker 1: been going on. You know, let me let me tell
Speaker 1: you something about Obama on vacation. UM. I need to
Speaker 1: get away from this mess. All right, y'all, y'all done
Speaker 1: messed up. I'm gonna go Parasalem. I'm gonna get on
Speaker 1: a jet ski and just go to the Bermuda Triangle,
Speaker 1: hopefully end up finding a stargate, end up on another planet.
Speaker 1: Is this y'all? Y'all, don't messed up. I don't think
Speaker 1: anybody blames him me there. Well, movies, get out, go
Speaker 1: see it comes out tomorrow. It's a nice uh you
Speaker 1: know two weeks later Valentine's Yeah. If you forgot to
Speaker 1: take your take your significant another out, check out Jordan's movie. Jordan,
Speaker 1: thanks for coming on the show man. I really appreciate it. Right,
Speaker 1: Thanks for listening everyone, Remember to subscribe and check back
Speaker 1: next week when I'll be talking to Logan director James Mangold.
Speaker 1: You've been listening to playback at Variety