Jordan Peele and Keke Palmer talk about the evolution in the public eye and the pitfall of ‘elevated films’

In the months leading up to Jordan Peele’s debut noTrying to figure out what the hell the movie was about became something of an event unto itself as the director’s fans delved into trailers, posters, and interviews, frantically trying to figure out how the movie might shock them. For many, go into no completely unaware of the premise was a big part of what made the film such a thrilling experience. But by the time no in theaters, his ads began telegraphing the shape of his story almost immediately, both because people had already seen the movie and because this is how studios have increasingly chosen to market them projects in recent years.

peel and no star Keke Palmer is of several minds when it comes to how much information trailers give away these days and the power we’ve given to the idea of ​​being spoiled. But when I caught up with the pair shortly before noIn this week’s Blu-ray and DVD release, they explained how they see the balance between secrecy and titillating theatergoers with juicy details as a necessary (though a little tricky) part to make the cinematic experience magical.

“It’s a tough needle to thread because I feel like it’s an advantage for people to walk into a movie not knowing anything if you’re into that sort of thing,” Peele said. “But I happen to know that a lot of people want to know what they’re going to see at the same time. That’s part of the contract that makes you go to a theater – you know what you’re watching.”

In the weeks and months that follow no‘s release changed the conversations surrounding the film in a marked way as more people saw it for themselves and were able to look back at the hype surrounding it with a deeper understanding of what they were seeing. What at first seemed just a depiction of Steven Yeun’s character Ricky Park wearing a cowboy hat, became a brilliant encapsulation of some of the no‘s bigger themes as soon as the public had a chance to see Jupiter’s Claim, and Peele said it was fascinating to watch the film and his ideas have continued to “bloom” in people’s minds since its release.

What fascinated Peele infinitely, however, is “this view that I have a ‘message’” with his films, an idea that stems from how his earlier work explored the intricacies of anti-black racism and the thorniness of American exceptionalism as a concept. Peele said his stories are always rooted in specific, personal observations that he expands on as part of his creative process, and he balked at the idea of ​​explicitly making films that people put a prestige label on simply because the subject matter is nuanced.

“I don’t want people to think I’m trying to make ‘elevated’ films,” Peele said. “I think that’s a trap that I don’t quite appreciate because I, you know, I like making shitty movies. I like to make weird movies that I really shouldn’t be making – and sometimes challenging people on the other side of things too.”

Palmer witnesses firsthand how the discourse surrounding Peele’s oeuvre occasionally takes a hostile turn as people begin to argue about what he’s trying to say or what certain shots mean. But from her perspective, a not insignificant part of the nonsense that Peele sometimes gets has much more to do with people working through the intensity of their own emotions.

“The thing about your movies is that the observations are so impactful that I think they double people over,” Palmer laughed. “And it’s us who come to the theater feeling, ‘I want to be able to take this observation and know what to do with it.’ [That feeling] challenges me; It puts me on the job because I know that when Jordan puts together his films and does his artistry, it’s based on something he felt.”

As keyed into Peele’s feelings and creative headroom as Palmer was clear during no‘s production, her turn as Emerald Haywood in the film has also sparked a renewed interest in the 29-year-old actor himself, who has been fully booked and busy for most of the past 20 years. While Palmer is anything but a newcomer, a significant portion of her fans seemed new to her—and would like to see her poured into things like Marvel’s upcoming X-Men project(s) as Rogue.

At a time when trolls treat complaints about the presence of black women in genre fiction as if it were their work, it was fascinating to watch a fandom gather around Palmer—and so organically. Palmer said the whole experience of it has meant so much to her, especially since she’s been in the industry for so long.

“The fact that I can continue to grow and get more eyes and get more fans and more people to come along on the Keke Palmer journey, and also see the different evolutions of my career,” Palmer laughed. “Because who I was as a child and what people expected of me as a child is completely different from what people expect from me now. My artistry has evolved, and to see how people react to that too is just… it’s just a nice feeling.”