The moment Daniel Kaluuya knew he could be a star
Over the last decade, Daniel Kaluuya has arisen as one of the most captivating performers in the new generation. No matter who he’s sharing the screen with – whether it’s Rowan Atkinson or Viola Davis – he always steals the show, delivering tender and considered performances almost effortlessly.
Though the Brit now has an Academy Award and several huge blockbusters to his name, Kaluuya wasn’t always the formidable actor we now know and love. Growing up in Camden, the budding actor first found his love for performing in the classroom.
During his time at primary school, Kaluuya took on the role of class clown, so much so that his teacher told his mother that he should look into acting. “I was busy in class, and I was a joker!” he recalled in a conversation with The Talks, “I think I just really enjoyed making people laugh.”
Looking to expand this vocation outside of the classroom, Kaluuya took up improv lessons in his early teens at Anna Scher Theatre, which boasts British performing royalty amidst its alumni. Kaluuya recalled, “I mean, you’re going there, and you’re seeing Reggie Yates, Joe Swash, Kathy Burke, you’re seeing all these people, and their pictures are up on the wall!”
“These are the people it happened to: Dizzee Rascal, Zawe Ashton, and Adam Deacon…” Kaluuya continued, “I think it was an environment of like, making it is not impossible.” Though Kaluuya took comfort in the success of his predecessors, it was a more mundane moment in class that secured his own confidence.
As Kaluuya recalls it, “I remember the point where I’d figured out how to improvise and make the class laugh. My teacher Marcus, he said, ‘That’s very smart that you figured out comedy.’ I still remember he said that! He said it, and that was enough, that felt right.”
It still took Kaluuya some time to get completely comfortable with improvisation, but safe in the knowledge that he could make his classmates laugh, he was destined for stardom. Not long after, Kaluuya landed his first acting role in a BBC drama and, eventually, landed roles in British classics Skins and Doctor Who.
Since then, Kaluuya has taken on superhero blockbusters, honed a collaborative relationship with fellow comedy enthusiast Jordan Peele, and consistently proven his ability to make audiences outside of his classmates laugh, as well as his ability to make them cry, gasp, swoon, flinch, and everything in between. From improv classes to the BAFTAs to his directorial debut, Kaluuya’s career only promises more to come.
Take a look at one of his earliest performances below.
