ETonline EXCLUSIVE: Jordan Peele Unmasks America's 'Post-Racial Lie' With 'Get Out&#
“I’m a very lucky man. I’ve got two babies coming right now,” Jordan Peele jokes with ET. “I got this movie right here; I got another one coming in July. I don’t know how it goes up from here.”
This time marks a lot of firsts in the life of Peele, the actor and comedian who is often recognized as half of Key & Peele. Peele is celebrating his directorial debut and first foray into horror movies with Get Out (in theaters on Feb. 24), as well as the impending birth of his first child with his wife, Brooklyn Nine-Nine actress Chelsea Peretti. “It’s surreal. It’s not the type of thing I can just wrap my head around right now,” he says, joking: “I’m really looking forward to my child’s comedy special. It’s going to be good.”
Since the Emmy-winning Comedy Central sketch series Key & Peele ended in 2015, Peele has been busy with guest-starring roles on TV series like Life in Pieces, voice acting on Bob's Burgers and last year's reunion with Keegan-Michael Key in the action comedy Keanu, which he co-wrote. It's safe to say, though, that not many fans expected Peele to be writing and directing a horror film, especially one that has a strong message about race relations. Peele himself was surprised that he got to make Get Out, saying he “literally thought this was an unproduceable movie because people seem to be afraid to take race on.”
As an actor known for his insightful and intelligent comedy, it’s not surprising that Peele would draw inspiration from a comedy icon for his move into horror. At a special screening of the film in Los Angeles, Peele revealed how Eddie Murphy’s famous “Haunted House” routine from his Delirious comedy special inspired him. “Eddie Murphy is talking about the difference between how a white family and a black family would react in a haunted house. And the white family stays and the black family hears, ‘Get out!’ -- [and says] ‘Too bad we can’t stay baby,’” Jordan explains before going on to call Murphy’s joke one of “the best bits of all time.”
For more on what inspired Peele's modern masterpiece, head to ETonline.com!
