‘Get Out’s’ Jordan Peele Says His Success Stems From “A Lack Of Imagination In Hollywood”

In a little over a year, comedian-turned-filmmaker Jordan Peele has gone from “That guy from ‘Key & Peele” to an Oscar-winning writer who is becoming one of the most sought-after talents in Hollywood. And he did it all thanks to his breakout success “Get Out,” which not only garnered critical acclaim but also a hefty box office sum. Now, Peele has various projects in film and TV that he is producing, and he chalks all that success up to one thing — being different.

In Peele’s case, he’s capitalizing on the fact that the film and TV industries are suffering from being “dull.” “There has been a lack of imagination in Hollywood, which sets us up to bring in really new, creative ways of storytelling,” Peele says in a new interview with Variety. “The imagination, especially, when we talk about representation, has been dull. For years and years and years, there’s this preconceived notion that diversity presents a struggle for projects. Well, the truth is, we haven’t invested in diversity. We haven’t invested in artists. So there’s a lack of courage, and I think, when you take leaps and you bring courage and confidence to projects, it works.”

One of the ways that the filmmaker’s projects differentiate themselves is by Peele’s choice of using genre filmmaking instead of just straight drama. “Genre is important to me because that’s what I love to watch,” Peele says. “Every now and then, a drama will really get me, but for my money, I look to cinema, I look to television as an escape. And that means an escape from reality. I think one of the things that we try and do is provide an escape for our audience — but to not let that allow us to shut our eyes to what’s really going on in the world.”

Even with films like Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman,” which Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions oversaw, you can definitely see that there wasn’t a straight-up history lesson presented. Lee’s film utilizes the director’s own unique style to present a historically true story in a new way. And according to Peele, genre filmmaking is another way to do that.

“I think when you entertain first, you can get at something socially profound or intellectual much easier,” he says. “I think people prefer a story to a lecture or a history lesson. At least I do.”

Ultimately, Peele says that it’s the courage to produce these unique projects that will set his Monkeypaw production company apart from the rest. “We can make projects that take courage to produce,” he says. “When we can give companies a bit of the courage to do something new, something special, something bold and novel can really come from it.”

READ MORE: Tim Heidecker Joins The Already Amazing Cast Of Jordan Peele’s ‘Get Out’ Follow-Up ‘Us’

He’s definitely on the right track. Peele’s company is producing “Lovecraft Country” at HBO, “The Hunt” and “Lorena” at Amazon, “Weird City” at YouTube, and “The Twilight Zone” at CBS All Access. Needless to say, the filmmaker has come a long way in the last year, and with his next film “Us” coming out in early 2019, it doesn’t look like he’s stopping anytime soon.