Co-starring in what looks to be one of the biggest hits of the fall, Daniel Kaluuya took to time to talk with The Knockturnal about ‘Sicario,’ in theaters worldwide October 2, 2015.
Q: First of all, congratulations on Sicario, since it looks like itโs going to be one of the best films of the year.
Daniel Kaluuya: It does, listen I love it. I think itโs an amazing film. I havenโt seen every film this year to say itโs the best, but I think itโs the best. So Iโm just putting that out there.
Q: Can you talk about what it was like working with the director, Denis Villeneuve?
Kaluuya: Denis, it was cool that…heโs just lovely. Heโs just real welcoming to your ideas and collaboration and making me feel at ease. He really pushed for me to get the role in this so Iโm really appreciative that he got me the part in this thing that Iโm so proud of. Heโs amazing, heโs an amazing man.
ย Q: Heโs looked like heโs one of the best filmmakers coming out now, ever since Prisoners. Heโs just really making things Iโve never seen before and itโs amazing.
Kaluuya: Itโs exciting to see someone grow and forge out their career in this industry and people are really excited for him and about him so itโs good.
Q: What exactly drew you to the project? Was it the idea of working with Denis? The screenplay? Or was there anything else in particular?
Kaluuya: It was combination of a certain many things. It was a great, great script, it was a great part, it was a great director, it was a great cast, it was going to Albuquerque and just chill out for three months, it was quite a bit of fun. There were so many factors. It was everything about it, it was really…it made me want to wake up early, it made me want to wake up at 4 A.M. and make me want to go to bed at 6 A.M. after night shoots.
Q: About your character in the movie, how would you go about describing him?
Kaluuya: Heโs just a solid guy. And heโs the only guy in the film that actually has Emily Bluntโs characters back. Heโs got to try and defend her and look out for her when sheโs in a bit deeper than she realizes. She doesnโt understand the level where these people are at and the strategy they use so heโs got her back, heโs just got her back man. Heโs just a great support system.
Q: Emily Blunt looks like sheโs getting bigger and bigger with each role and it just looks like this will really put her on the map as far as being one of the biggest actresses in the world. Can you talk about what itโs like working with her?
Kaluuya: I think sheโs one of the biggest actresses in the world right now, personally. I think sheโs definitely one of the most talented, and one of smartest, most intelligent…sheโs amazing, absolutely amazing. Itโs really cool to be with her and grow with Emily for that whole Summer last year, that two months and a half. To see what makes her tick and why she is one of the best in the world. And then Iโm really excited for what this is going to do for her. Sheโs an amazing talent but this really showcases it in a genre that people probably havenโt seen her will get to know her.
Q: Sheโs just someone who when sheโs in a movie, I know for sure itโs something that I know Iโve got to see.
Kaluuya: Sheโs a great talent.
Q: Sheโs incredible! In Sicario, what was your favorite scene to shoot in particular?
Kaluuya: Favorite scene to shoot…I mean the opening sequence was pretty fun when we just blew up the house a lot of times and the explosions were pretty cool. Thatโs really fun. Thatโs the stuff that you go, โWow, Iโm in the movies.โ That was cool. I loved the scenes between me and Emily, there was the one scene where we just improvised after the bar and it just got under the skin of her, under the skin of Reggie, under the skin of the relationship, just you know, it was really cool.
Q: For the people who may not know about this movie living under a rock somewhere, what should people expect from this movie?
Kaluuya: Itโs a film thatโll make you think, thatโll make you feel, I think a lot of films choose one or the other and I think this is both, itโs a real…it was a really interest comment on Mexican cartels and that fight and how people fight these illegal gangs in a somewhat illegal way and the morality of the fact but also, cinematically, itโs an impressive piece of work. I mean it will make you jump, be at the edge of your seat, hold your breath, go crazy. And thatโs really exciting cause it feels like itโs really accessible to people. So if youโre a cinephile, youโre thinking, โOh man, this is a really interesting piece of work,โ and then if youโre just…the general public where you wanna have a good night or you wanna impress a girl or a guy, youโre on a date, this is a really cool thing to be a part of. I love being a part of a project like that.
Q: Looking at your career so far, you havenโt just been in movies but youโve also done a lot of television work. Does your approach differ from working on one medium to the other? Do you take acting in a film different than acting in a television show?
Kaluuya: I think yeah, itโs the medium so thereโs more of a difference. Just inherently, in the fact that cinema the person goes out to watch the film when on TV itโs transmitted to your TV, thereโs a difference. You know what I mean? Itโs a different medium completely, the scripts and the work are different in the sense that it demands different attributes from yourself, so yeah. I think TV is a bit more worthy and where cinema is about the camera, and youโre giving less, you know. I love both of them, they keep people connected. They both have strengths in those departments.
Q: Do you have any particular role that youโve played before thatโs a favorite for you?
Kaluuya: Any particular role thatโs a favorite of what Iโve played…I did this episode of Black Mirror that was amazing. That was a really, really cool project. I did a show back home for The Royal Court where I lost three stone in three months, that was really cool. I just boxed for eight months. I just learned how to fight and that was amazing. And then being a part of Skins was amazing, was at school and having that experience while I was at school. And then Welcome To The Punch, was loads of fun, loads of cool stuff. I feel very proud and very fortunate to be alive.
Q: You mention Black Mirror, thatโs one of those shows that just looks incredible. Can you talk about the experience of working on that show?
Kaluuya: It was amazing. I did that about four years ago. It was these collections of amazing scripts. I got the script and just said, โThis is incredible.โ I got the role in it and then just…they literally created a world…created a world. It just said, โWhat if?โ The writer is a massive journalist back home in England and he really got out a lot of what he wanted to say about the world through the episode you know, about consumerism and capitalism and people are collecting this technology and what technology is doing to human interaction. So I like to be in the center of that and have people who feel like they feel the same way…itโs amazing. I just knew from the script that this is just stuff he wanted to say and stuff he felt and he just said it.
Q: Itโs absolutely one of the shows Iโve been wanting to check out for a while now.
Kaluuya: You should watch it, after this you should go and watch it. If you havenโt watched it by the end of the week I will be very unhappy. I probably wonโt know but somewhere Iโll be frowning.
Q: That just means I have to watch it now.
Kaluuya: Listen, itโs amazing. Do you know what the first episode is about? Have you heard about it?
Q: Iโm going in completely blind on it.
Kaluuya: You should watch it blank. Itโs wild. Itโs wild.
Q: Iโm excited for it and Iโm gonna be watching it this week. Just to wrap this up. So, what film or television series from the past that you may have enjoyed watching that you may have wished that you could really be in…which film or TV series would you have loved to have been in?
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Kaluuya: Loved to have been in…Ferris Buellerโs Day Off. I could just watch that again and again. That looked like so much fun to film. They really made it a great snapshot of the time. It really captured the time and you go back and itโs aged so well. Itโs just fun. That kind of stuff definitely…I love that. As for TV stuff, Breaking Badโs quite cool. Love Breaking Bad. Thatโs about it. Thereโs loads of stuff that I canโt quite think of.
