From 'Black Panther' to 'Nope': Daniel Kaluuya's 6 Most Iconic Roles
For the actor's 34th birthday, L'OFFICIEL looks back at his most iconic movie roles.
Though Daniel Kaluuya became a recognized star since his breakout role in Jordan Peele's Get Out, the British actor already had numerous film credits under his belt. From Skins to Doctor Who to Black Mirror, the actor has been immensely talented since the very beginning. In the last few years, Kaluuya has continued to receive more recognition for his high acting abilities with received accolades such as an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and two BAFTA Awards. In honor of his achievements and his 34th birthday, L'OFFICIEL looks back at Kaluuya's six most iconic roles.
Sicario (2015)
Denis Villeneuve's Sicario follows FBI Agent Kate Mercer (Emily Blunt) who is given the assignment to help bring down a powerful Mexican drug cartel. Kaluuya stars as Reggie Wayne, Mercer's partner in training. While the actor was only a supporting character, the film received immense praise and earned nominations from both the Academy Awards and BAFTA. Other leading actors included Josh Brolin, Jeffrey Donovan, and Benicio del Toro.
Get Out (2017)
Kaluuya takes on the role of Chris Washington in Jordan Peele's feature directorial debut, Get Out—a psychological horror film about following a young Black man (Kaluuya) and his white girlfriend Rose Armitage (Allison Williams). While Washington is meeting her family, he comes across twisted and shocking revelations happening. Get Out received an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and Kaluuya received a nomination for Best Actor.
Black Panther (2018)
Perhaps one of his most well-known performances to date, the British actor starred as W'Kabi in the Marvel film, Black Panther. W'Kabi was the late T'Challa's (Chadwick Boseman) former best friend who ultimately betrayed his kingdom when siding with the antagonist, Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan). Ultimately Kaluuya's character surrendered and would go on to have brief appearances in the sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Black Panther currently stands as one of Marvel's best-performing movies, grossing over $1 billion at the box office, and is the first and only Marvel film to have won an Oscar and
Queen & Slim (2019)
Following his stellar performance in Black Panther, the actor stars alongside Jodie Turner-Smith in Melina Matsoukas's feature directorial debut, Queen & Slim. The two actors play a couple (named Queen and Slim) who are on the run from the police after accidentally killing a cop in self-defense. The romance crime drama was highly praised for Kaluuya's and Turner-Smith's exceptional acting and received multiple film nominations.
Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)
In Shaka King's biographical film, the actor stars as Fred Hampton, a Black American activist that was heavily involved with the Black Panther Party. Judas and the Black Messiah follows William O'Neal (LaKeith Stanfield), a low-profile criminal who makes a deal with the FBI to gather intel on the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party and their leader Hampton in return for all of his criminal charges dropped. The film received rave reviews and won Kaluuya an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Nope (2022)
In the sci-fi horror movie Nope, also directed by Jordan Peele, Kaluuya stars as a ranch farmer named O.J. who must work with his sister Em (Keke Palmer) to gather evidence about a mysterious UFO to help save the family ranch. Both Kaluuya and Palmer received high praise from critics for their performance. Other starring actors included Steven Yeun, Barbie Ferreira, Keith David, and Brandon Perea.
