Jordan Peele On His Future Casting: “I Don’t See Myself Casting A White Dude As The Lead”

Jordan Peele

Jordan Peele On His Future Casting: “I Don’t See Myself Casting A White Dude As The Lead”

It’s definitely a great time to be Jordan Peele these days. Two years after his box-office smash, the Academy Award winning film Get Out, Peele is currently riding high on the record-breaking success of his latest film Us, which just made horror film history in more ways than one.

However, he recently opened up about the casting process for his future films—and there is one type of person you definitely won’t ever see in the lead.

Jordan Peele

Director/writer/actor Jordan Peele is one of the most in-demand people in Hollywood right now, evidenced by the plethora of projects he has lined up, including the upcoming Candyman reboot, which means that everyone is anticipating what he’s going to do next.

During a recent discussion series at East Hollywood’s improv haven Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, Peele revealed why it’s so important to him to continue to cast black actors in his films in leading roles—a precedent that he aims to continue in the future.

Peele stated:

“The way I look at it. I get to cast black people in my movies. I feel fortunate to be in this position where I can say to Universal, ‘I want to make a $20 million horror movie with a black family.’ And they say yes.” 

He continued, explaining his choice to not cast white actors in lead roles in his films:

“I don’t see myself casting a white dude as the lead in my movie. Not that I don’t like white dudes. But I’ve seen that movie. It really is one of the best, greatest pieces of this story, is feeling like we are in this time — a renaissance has happened and proved the myths about representation in the industry are false.”

Aside from the forthcoming Candyman reboot, you can check out Jordan Peele’s next venture, a reboot of the classic horror anthology series The Twilight Zone, which will air on CBS All Access.

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