The Jordan Peele Cameo You May Have Missed In Get Out
Jordan Peele took the horror world by storm with his directorial debut "Get Out". Not only did the film prove that Peele could deftly switch from comedy to horror, but its sharp social commentary and high-concept story served as the foundation for future projects Peele would write, direct, and/or produce. Those projects include his sophomore directing effort "Us," a reboot of "The Twilight Zone" on Paramount+ (back when it was known as CBS All Access), the HBO series "Lovecraft Country," and the Nia DaCosta-helmed "Candyman", which Peele produced and co-wrote. Suffice it to say, he's become one of the most interesting voices in the horror genre — and this is coming from somebody who wouldn't call himself a horror aficionado.
In addition to writing and directing "Get Out," Peele revealed in an interview with Fandango that he also has a secret cameo in the film. It's not an entirely new phenomenon for directors to cameo in their own films — Alfred Hitchcock, Quentin Tarantino and Joe Russo have all done it. However, Peele's cameo continues a tradition of zigging where others are expecting him to zag.
Deer-ly departed
Peele lent his voice to the dying deer that Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) and Rose (Alison Williams) run into early in the film when they are heading to Rose's parents. This moment serves as one of the more disturbing elements of the film, as Chris and the deer lock eyes. The pain in the deer's eyes as it takes its last, shuddering breaths will stick with the viewers, and it's an omen of the horrors to come. It's also a testament to Peele's skill as an actor that he can perfectly mimic a dying animal.
That isn't the only time Peele provides a vocal cameo in the film either. When Chris is being prepared for the Coagula procedure, a message on the television he's being forced to watch comes from the United Negro College Fund: "A mind is a terrible thing to waste." Not only does this serve as a darkly comic reference to the procedure that will imprint the mind of a white person onto Chris, but Peele also confirmed that he played the role of the UNCF announcer. Two cameos for the price of one!
Run, rabbit, run
It seems portraying dying animals are a specialty of Jordan Peele. For his sophomore feature "Us", Peele provided the voice of a dying rabbit. The animals served as the only food source for the Tethered, and they can be seen roaming the underground tunnels during the film's climactic scene. Peele revealed during an interview that rabbits frighten him — ironically, he would voice the stuffed rabbit Bunny alongside his longtime creative partner Keegan Michael Key in "Toy Story 4", which premiered the very same year.
The Super Bowl recently saw the release of the official trailer for Peele's third film "Nope," which focuses on a mysterious force terrorizing the owners of the only black-owned horse ranch in Hollywood. While plot details remain under wraps, a running theory has been that the mysterious force is a UFO. With that being said, what's the over/under on Peele voicing a dying horse? We'll have to see when "Nope" hits theaters on July 22, 2022.