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Keke Palmer Opens Up About Jordan Peele’s ‘Nope’, Says She Was 'In Shock' About Her Character

We may or may not have watched the trailer for Nope a dozen times, desperately trying to make sense of a mysterious UFO, a random woman's burned face and a terrified horse. The bad news? We still haven't the slightest clue how they're all connected. But fortunately, PureWow got to sit down and discuss the upcoming horror film with Nope star Keke Palmer.

The 28-year-old Emmy winner plays Jill Haywood, a Hollywood horse trainer who works in an isolated town in California. And so far, we know the story follows Jill and fellow rancher James Haywood (Daniel Kaluuya) as they witness a "mysterious" and "abnormal" event. But what exactly does this mean?

Without revealing too many details, Palmer referred to director Jordan Peele's recent interview with Empire, where he teased a new detail about the plot.

She told us, "Jordan put out a quote, and I think it tells a really good part of the movie without [revealing] too much. It says, 'Daniel Kaluuya...has an other-worldly confrontation.' That's a little tidbit he put out, so I'm going to continue to ride along with that." (Yep, it sounds like there will definitely be some aliens involved.)

Palmer also revealed that she was blown away when she first read Peele's script—and she may have given a subtle hint about her character's fate in the process. She said, "I was in shock. I think I was in shock about my character, and I just felt like, these are the things I dreamed of [doing]. That's what I felt."

Could this mean that there's more to Jill than meets the eye? Considering Peele's past work with Get Out and Us, we can expect at least one jaw-dropping twist. And it's worth noting that both previous films featured at least one villainous female lead, so something tells us that Nope just might follow suit.

While discussing how she landed this role, Palmer revealed that she reconnected with Peele a few years after they collaborated on Key & Peele. She said, "I worked with him once when I was 17 years old, on Key & Peele. And then we didn’t talk or work anymore after that. After Get Out came, I was obviously so blown away as a creative and I reached out to him through DM, but he never read it. He never replied to it, we never spoke. And then randomly, I got a call from my representation saying Jordan Peele wants to talk to me about being in his upcoming film."

Palmer continued, "I was just shocked. The initial conversation was just him talking to me about the project, and then me reading the script, and it was just a very incredible process, very intimate and collaborative. [It was] obviously his vision, but what I mean by collaborative is that he really valued my opinions on my character."

"It was absolutely a dream of mine to get an opportunity to work with him. He's one of the most brilliant people that I've ever worked with, and also very down to earth. I consider him a friend and a mentor."

The actress and TV personality also gushed about her co-star, Kaluuya. "I loved working so closely with Daniel," she said. "[I] was a really, really big fan of his since when he did the Black Mirror episode, and then obviously when he did Get Out. I just think he's a really profound actor."

Per the official website, we'll have to wait until July 22 to see the mystery unfold. Until then, we'll be counting down the days.

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nakeisha campbell bio

Associate Editor, News and Entertainment

Nakeisha has been interviewing celebrities and covering all things entertainment for over 8 years, but she has also written on a wide range of topics, like career...