Daniel Kaluuya on How Chadwick Boseman “Big Bro-ed” Him, Heightened “Anxiety” on a U.S. Set
Daniel Kaluuya is speaking candidly about his relationship with Chadwick Boseman, kicking down doors for Black actors in Hollywood and the differences between a U.S. and U.K. set.
The actor, writer and producer spoke at a BFI London Film Festival event at Soho’s Picturehouse Central on Wednesday with fellow actor and long-time friend Ashley Walters, who pegged Kaluuya as “one of the most inspirational people that I know.”
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When asked about meeting Boseman, Kaluuya was full of praise. Boseman died aged 43 in 2020 after a private battle with colon cancer. The two teamed up on Marvel’s Black Panther set, where Kaluuya portrayed W’Kabi. “Meeting Chad was a pivotal moment in my life,” Kaluuya said. “I remember we had a dinner, and I sat opposite him. He could see my life was changing, and I didn’t know. He leaned in — and I was about to go on a press run, and I didn’t have a publicist [Laughs]. He leaned in and saw I needed help and guidance, and I didn’t have to ask. And I didn’t know how to ask.”
“He big bro-ed me, he helped me out,” he continued. “Then Get Out came out, and he did a speech on my birthday, it was so poignant. He was an incredible leader on set, and I really felt for him because doing those Marvel things, that’s work. That’s hard. Especially doing the action sequences in those suits in hot weather, it’s hard on the body… Knowing that he did that while he was going through what he was going through, I don’t really have the words for it.
“He just gave everything, he led in a very noble way. He always brought people together… He always had time for everyone. Him and Lupita [Nyong’o], they were always back and forth, and they just knew that my life was changing.”
Kaluuya, famed for his performances in Jordan Peele’s Get Out, Us and Nope, as well as Shaka King’s Judas and the Black Messiah — which bagged the Brit an Oscar — told Walters he does feel the weight of representing the Black community in showbiz. “When I play a role, I do think, what am I saying to people? [Judas and the Black Messiah] was a big one. Someone once said something like, ‘Our job is to rescue wisdom from the past.’ I felt that when I read this script… But yeah, I do feel responsible in a good way. I want to make sure the stuff I do resonates with the people that speak to me or look at me.”
The star also discussed the difference between filming in the U.S. and filming in the U.K., pinpointing the discrepancy in anxiety levels due to the country’s contrasting health insurance stances. (In the U.K., healthcare is free through the National Health Service.) “The big one is health insurance, to be honest, there’s much more anxiety in America because there’s a lot on the line… [In the U.K.] I think there is a better work-life balance.”
“And that’s why I fell in love with this industry,” he continued. “This job is to work with a team of people, have a laugh and have something to be proud of. Yeah. In America, you work a bit more by yourself, or the director. It’s very much cut off. And if you then move like you’re cool with everyone, everyone looks at you a bit weird. But I do think the opportunities in America are incredible… There are pros and cons to both.”
Kaluuya spoke extensively about nailing an American accent in his films — explaining that he works off a generic accent based on where he thinks he would have grown up had he been born an American Black man and then going regional. He also talked about filmmaker Steve McQueen, who he described as “a legendary guy.”
When discussing his role in Get Out, Kaluuya said he “wanted that challenging film. I wanted to feel the work… That’s the one that when I got the role I was like, ‘Wow, that’s cool. I want to lock in.’ With the American accent, I wanted to look skinny, so when he fights to the end it’s a surprise.” When Walters asked what was ahead for Kaluuya, he said: “Writing is my thing, and directing is my thing, producing is my thing… I don’t have no limits. I just want to go around and [figure out] what makes sense. How do I serve and how do I talk to people that I want to speak to?”
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