Daniel Kaluuya’s Story About How Dev Patel “Still Checked In” With Him After The Success Of “Slumdog Millionaire” Is The Ultimate Testament To Their Friendship
Though they’re top Hollywood stars today, Daniel Kaluuya and Dev Patel have seriously come a long way together.
As many will know, the two British actors started out on a popular UK series called Skins, which first aired in the 2000s.
Dev and Daniel appeared in the first two seasons as Anwar and Posh Kenneth.
In case you’ve never seen it, Skins follows a group of teenagers in England as they navigate the various hurdles of adolescence, with plot lines centering on everything from substance abuse and pregnancy to mental health and sexuality.
The series, described by some as the OG Euphoria, was unique in that its cast was primarily made up of unknown performers — which is where we meet Daniel, Dev, and a ton of other now-well-known actors.
“We went to youth drama clubs and found teenagers like Daniel Kaluuya, and held open auditions where we found Kaya Scodelario, Hannah Murray, and Dev Patel,” Bryan Elsley, the show’s co-creator and writer, told the Guardian in 2019.
Nicholas Hoult also landed a role in the show after the casting director stumbled upon a newspaper article about the grown-up child actor from About a Boy, which Nicholas starred in alongside Hugh Grant in 2002.
The first season premiered in 2007, quickly resonating with teenage viewers. And since then, a number of the show’s OG stars have gone on to do some pretty big things.
Most recently, Dev was honored on Time’s list of the 100 Most Influential People, and of course, Daniel was on hand to share a few words with the publication about Dev’s journey from Skins to stardom.
“I first met Dev Patel at the very first read-through for Skins, before he ever got on TV,” the Black Panther star recalled in a short but heartfelt note for Time. “He was so full of life, and we both couldn’t believe we were missing school to do this.”
As you may know, Dev shot to global notoriety after starring in the Best Picture-winning Slumdog Millionaire in 2008. This was only a year after he made his debut on Skins, however, Daniel said that his costar didn’t let the fanfare get to his head.
Referring to the British chain of pubs, Daniel wrote: “I went from getting food with him in Wetherspoons to watching him at the Golden Globes, within a month — and he still checked in when he got back.”
“Dev radiates goodness,” he continued. “His humanity shines through every time he graces the screen, leaving you no choice but to root for him even when his character is doing something foul; his presence makes you understand where he’s coming from,” he added, before shining a light on the actor’s latest career feat.
“With a career that always elevates, his latest performance in Monkey Man is my favorite,” Daniel wrote, referring to Dev’s directorial debut, which hit theaters earlier this month.
“Giving us a fierce, soulful empathy, a channeled rage, shades of him we have yet to see — knowing he was so into martial arts during Skins, he’s brought it all together,” he went on. “Monkey Man is his moment, and an incredible directorial debut.”
And while Dev is currently in the spotlight for Monkey Man, it’s fair to say that Daniel has kept himself busy since the Skins days, too.
Earning his first Oscar nomination in 2018 for his performance in Jordan Peele’s Get Out, Daniel went on to bag the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor three years later for his portrayal of Fred Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah.
After the global success of Get Out, Dev — who received his first Oscar nomination in 2017 for Lion — expressed how excited he was to see his friend and former costar getting his flowers on the big stage.
“I get so proud when I see Daniel up there getting nominated for an Oscar,” he told Yahoo UK in January 2020, shining a light on how far they and the rest of the Skins alumni have come.
“It's crazy. I got [the Skins role] from an open casting, so just to be employed again is amazing, and everyone is doing so well. We're all so proud of each other,” he said at the time. “We're all over the place, but it's always nice to bump into someone wherever they are.”
You can read Daniel’s full tribute to Dev for Time’s 100 Most Influential People list here.
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