Acclaimed Actor Makes Directorial Debut

By Ron Wynn

NASHVILLE, TN — Daniel Kaluuya has appeared in many notable projects as either a lead actor or key contributor, but he’s now making his debut in another area. The trailer for his directorial debut “The Kitchen” is now available online. He’s co-directing this project with Kibwe Tavares for Netflix, and he also co-wrote the screenplay with Joe Murtagh. A release about the project describes it in this manner: “In a dystopian London, the gap between rich and poor has been stretched to its limits. All forms of social housing have been eradicated and only The Kitchen remains. A community that refuses to move out of the place they call home. This is where we meet a solitary Izi, living here by necessity and desperately trying to find a way out, and a 12-year-old Benji, who has lost his mother and is searching for a family. We follow our unlikely pair as they struggle to forge a relationship in a system that is stacked against them.”

The film stars Kane Robinson, Jedaiah Bannerman, Ian Wright, Hope Ikpoku Jr, Cristale, BackRoad Gee, Teija Kabs, Demmy Ladipo. Kaluuya described the film to Shadow and Act in their exclusive interview by saying that “this story is set in an oppressed world but it’s about the people who live there and their resilient inner life. No matter how much the class system dims and dehumanizes, with this film the light of our togetherness, community and humanity shines through.” Tavares added, “I’m very excited for audiences to see The Kitchen. Having grown up in London, the film really is a love letter to the city. It meant a lot to have Netflix’s support in making The Kitchen. It’s been such a journey from script to screen and I really wanted to make something fresh, thoughtful, and cinematic and I am so proud of the final film.”

Kaluuya has won many honors as an actor in both theatrical and film projects. These include an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards, and a Golden Globe Award. He was named among the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2021.

The British actor began his acting career as a teenager in improvisational theatre. He later played Posh Kenneth in the first two seasons of the television series “Skins” (2007–2009) and also co-wrote some of the episodes. Kaluuya earned critical praise for his leading performance in “Sucker Punch at the Royal Court Theatre in 2010, and again for his television roles in the “Doctor Who” special episode “Planet of the Dead” (2009), “Psychoville” (2009–2011), “The Fades” (2011), and the Black Mirror episode “Fifteen Million Merits” (2011).[5] He also had supporting roles in the films “Johnny English Reborn” (2011) and “Sicario” (2015).

His star ascended even more with a standout role in Jordan Peele’s horror film “Get Out,” which garnered him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor.[ This was followed by starring roles in Ryan Coogler’s superhero film “Black Panther” (2018), Steve McQueen’s crime drama “Widows” (2018), and Peele’s horror film “Nope” (2022). For his portrayal of Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton in the biopic “Judas and the Black Messiah” (2021), he won the BAFTA and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

“The Kitchen” debuts on Netflix in January.