The grand film made by Jordan Peele, Nope, was one of the most highly awaited movies to come out last year. A take on society’s obsession with spectacles (especially nowadays) takes a dark turn and leaves the characters, as well as the audience, hanging at every second. Nope was shot on film, and the visuals created by Peele are nothing short of extraordinary.
After an unexpected tragedy happens, the Haywood siblings are left to take care of the family business: horse training for television and film on their family ranch called Haywood Ranch. However, unexplainable things start to happen, and they may have correlations with the tragedy that set everything in motion. Now, they have a new plan to get money and fame. Film and photograph the strange alien creature that looms above the ranch.
Nope is an incredible movie with its heavy social commentary that could have only been created from the mind of Jordan Peele. Here are the main characters of this unnerving yet beautifully shot tale.
Daniel Kaluuya as OJ Haywood
OJ Haywood, played by Daniel Kaluuya, is a reclusive man that keeps it to himself most of the time. He is quiet and doesn’t speak more than what’s necessary to convey what he wants. This makes him a deeply observational person, which is key to this particular story. He is extremely close to his sister Emerald and their connection, which may seem unusual, is everything they both need. OJ is the one that bonds with the horses and trains them like their father used to do.
Kaluuya has been a big name in Hollywood for a while now, but his status was cemented with his Academy Award win for the role of Fred Hampton in Judas and The Black Messiah. Nope is the second collaboration Kaluuya has made with Peele, the first one being the phenomenal Get Out. Peele repeatedly stated that Kaluuya is one of the best actors he knows and he loves working with him. The actor can also be seen, among many projects, like Black Panther, Queen & Slim, and most recently, as a voice actor for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
Keke Palmer as Emerald Haywood
Emerald Haywood, played by Keke Palmer, is the life of the party. She is fun, extroverted, and in many aspects, the complete opposite of her brother. Nevertheless, she is down-to-earth enough to be really creative in her plans on how to secure jobs for their horses. A natural salesperson, Emerald is unafraid to try and fail, but especially to do everything she can to achieve her goals. She is more aware of what people will pay a lot of money for than her brother.
Keke Palmer has been acting since she was eleven years old. However, just like the director, she has had a more comedic-focused career — so far. While her character is extremely funny in Nope, she doesn’t shy away from the more intimate and dramatic moments. Some projects the actress has been in include the movie Hustlers, and she did voice acting for Lightyear and Human Resources.
Steven Yeun as Ricky “Jupe” Park
Ricky “Jupe” Park is a child actor who had a terrible event happen on set, where he barely escaped alive. He now owns a Western-inspired amusement park, Jupiter’s Claim. As a former actor, Park likes to put on a show for his audience and will not shy away from a good spectacle — even if it is extremely dangerous. He knows more than he lets on, but that doesn’t mean he is any safer than the others.
Steven Yeun had his big break when he played Glenn in The Walking Dead, but since then, the Korean actor has been in extraordinary projects. His resume includes the Academy Award multiple-nominee film Minari. Yeun was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in the movie. More recently, the actor took one of the lead roles in the Netflix show Beef, as well as he also did some voice acting in the animated series Invincible.
Brandon Perea as Angel Torres
Angel Torres, played by Brandon Perea, is an essential part of this fantastic chase. His tedious life and job will take a turn once he meets the Haywoods. OJ and Emerald meet Torres at a store where they need help with tech equipment. He believes in the siblings’ chase and what they have been experiencing. Torres ends up playing the role of comic relief for a lot of the film alongside Emerald.
Brandon Perea’s big break was actually in Nope. His participation in the movie goes beyond acting in it; he truly changed the character from the moment he auditioned. He had a very different take on Torres, including Peele’s vision. However, the director noticed the potential Perea’s interpretation had and rewrote much of the script to fit it. Perea can also be seen in the Netflix show The OA. Outside of acting, he had the impressive accomplishment of being the youngest professional jam skater in the sport’s history.
Michael Wincott as Antlers Holst
Every alien chase needs people with different specialties, and as OJ and Emerald are fairly new to the game, they needed someone to help them with the basics of filmmaking. That’s when Antlers Holst, played by Michael Wincott, enters this strange narrative. Holst is a somewhat famous filmmaker that has the skill set needed to accomplish this insane task of photographing an alien.
Michael Wincott is a Canadian actor that has been a part of many movies and television shows, as well as some voice acting work in video games. His narration for the videogame Darksiders II has been nominated for a Behind The Voice Actors award. He is best known for his roles in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, The Crow, Strange Days, and The Three Musketeers. The actor was more recently in the Max series Westworld.