Photo Credit: The Movie Times/Youtube
Today marks the 30th birthday of Get Out star Daniel Kaluuya. He may have just hit it big with the satirical horror film exactly two days ago to this date, but as is the case with most fame stories, he’s hardly new to the industry. He started off doing improv as a teenager but those days are long gone. He’s gone on to winning an MTV Movie Award, NAACP Image Award, a British Academy Film Award and more. In fact, this week alone, it was just announced he’ll be starring in another Black Panther film. This time it won’t be the Marvel kind, even though he was in that one as well, but the actual activist Black Panthers. The film, Jesus Was My Homebody is about the life of activist Fred Hampton and his role in the Black Panther party, which he’ll be starring alongside Lakeith Stanfield. Kaluuya will be playing Hampton.
Growing up he said a teacher of his told his mother he a very busy child and recommended acting. “So I wrote a play,” he said. His mother wasn’t particularly into the arts but he says “The teacher said I was difficult, and I thought, ‘I’ll show you.’” And for a first play, he won a local competition and it did well at the local well known Hampstead Theater. One of his first television gig involved being on the BBC drama Skins and even ended up on their writing team.
As a teenager Kaluuya wanted to go to acting school but didn’t have the money. Today at 30 he still hasn’t gone which he says has caused him some insecurities. At this point in his career he’s one of Hollywood’s most recognizable rising faces and he’s done pretty good without it. We’re wishing him the best of birthdays.
