November 13, 2022 • 11 mins
“The difference between comedy and horror is the music.” “Nope” director Jordan Peele chats with Trevor about how the comedy part of his career is still active in his horror projects, why he thinks it’s important to feel fear, and why the unseen is the scariest part about his new Spotify Original audio horror series, “Quiet Part Loud.”
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
You're listening to Comedy Central. That feels girl, that feels
that feels absolutely wrong. Okay for appropriates, you think, So
that's appropriates. That's what we're gonna do. It's just gonna
(00:21):
be now of applause for you. That's overwhelming respect. That's
what you deserve. That's how you make people feel you deserve. No,
that's what you deserve, my friend. I mean, I mean
this honestly. I mean this so honestly. I you know,
I was, I was scrolling on my TV the other day,
and you know, I was bouncing around everything between like
(00:41):
YouTube and then going through Netflix and then bouncing like
different apps and watching It's amazing to see the impact
that you have had on the culture. You know, obviously
not really with Key and Peel, some of the funniest
moments and ideas still existing on TikTok kids loving them today,
and then you move into like what you did with
Keanu and then the new range of movies. I do
want to understand this one of the funniest people out there.
(01:05):
You were for a very long time putting out some
of the funniest content and now it's just like scary
ship is this fullbalanced what what happens? Is it weird
that I think it's funny? Is it? I? You know,
I think the comedy part of my career is still going.
(01:25):
I think it's still active. Wow, and part of that,
you know part. I talked about it as sort of
like the difference between comedy and horrors the music, and
it really does. It does feel like that, you know
when when we uh sorry, I'm sorry, now I'm puturing
Now I'm picturing the ceiling get out with the guys
(01:45):
running like you know, he's running at the camera, he's
like head on. But now I'm pting like means like
Benny Hill. And it's funny. It's funny and it's very funny.
And I could have done I was at the finish
line with that film. My have gone either way, it
would have been a very different film. Um. But but
thank you for saying that. Yeah, no, I I I'm
(02:05):
I love comedy. It became very uh complex somehow making
comedy in this world as it is complex. I think
making anything or getting anything accomplished in this world. It
feels like you were the only person who wasn't surprised
about the filmmaker you would turn into, you know, and
I think it's because you came from this world of sketch,
and sketch always seems unplanned and unprepared. It seems off
(02:26):
the cuff, but there's so much work that goes into it.
And and now you've you've turned into or rather you've
been revealed to us as this film maker. Like when
I was watching Nope, you're sitting in that movie theater,
nobody knows what's gonna happen, why it's gonna happen, how
it's gonna happen. You successfully got people to not spoil
any of the plot points. I don't know how you
did that, because people who saw there like, have you
(02:49):
seen Nope? I was like, no, I haven't, how is it?
They're like nope. But you you create, like you create
a feeling thank you well that you know I have.
I just have this love of my audience. And I
think when my audiences has been telling me and responding
to because that that very thing is something that they
love and that they're going to, uh, they're going to
(03:11):
show up for it. And so you know when and
and you know, you say, I knew, I you know
when I made when I wrote get Out, I didn't
I didn't even know if they would let me direct it.
I didn't. Yeah, that's that's how how much has changed
in my life. You know. I was trying to push
this thing and so I luckily I found a wonderful
(03:33):
home and wonderful producers for it. But when I made Nope,
that then I you know, I was like, Okay, now,
hold on a second. They're gonna let me direct a film.
You know, They're gonna let me direct a big movie.
And so there's a responsibility there is there is there
a pressure. Do you ever do you have a like
feel the weights of your own pressure? Because get Out
(03:54):
is one of the greatest movies that has ever been made.
From that moment onwards, everyone is expected you to create
the greatest movie ever made. There's always gonna be that pressure.
There's always gonna be criticism. This is gonna be the critics.
Do you feel that as well? Or do you find
yourself just making what you want to make? Well, you know,
there's a lot of people hate get Out, and there's
a certain who are these people? Well, they're out there,
(04:16):
they are out there. Wow, I get I get I
still get hate from from from that era. I mean,
there's a lot of people that don't like the you know,
the the agency that it brought interest me and other people.
I truly feel that. And so you know, and and
and and can you impeel as well? You know, you're
(04:37):
you realize people are gonna respond, but there's always gonna
be people who don't respond. And that's okay. That's part
of the adventure of doing something risky, doing something you're
not supposed to do, is that you're gonna be pissing
people off. But that's okay. I wonder if some people
are pistolf at what you illuminate in the stories that
you tell, because it's one thing to create a horror movie.
It's one thing to create thrill and suspense. It's another
(05:00):
thing to to weave into that story everything that we're
experiencing in real life. You know that there are themes
of race, there are themes of of gender, there are
there are themes like everything is encapsulated in the stories,
like you you went and went, what if there's racism,
and what if it's sexism, and what if there's also
a monster which seems you know, which is the very
(05:22):
much the real world. Once again a documentary, but no,
I uh, yeah, you know. I mean this one wanted
to be about this, you know, this idea that was
sort of forming in my head that there's some people,
there are some things in this world that are these
bad miracles. These are these things that are so entertaining
(05:43):
that it uh that were blinded to the danger of them.
And so I wanted to make a film about the
you know, the human response to these things and how
we interact with it and how we we will chase
it off a cliff. Wow, you do that with everything
that Because when they told me you had a podcast,
I thought you were going to be interviewing people. I
(06:04):
thought it was gonna be a conversation. They're like, no,
he made a horror podcast. So I was like, well,
but that's but that's not possible. And then they send
it to me and I was like, oh, this is
terrifying because I just have to use my ears. We
actually have a clip here. We can play a little
bit for you. Just listen to you even close your
eyes if you want to listen. I need to report
(06:26):
an accident. This guy he's hurt his head. There's there's
a lot of blood. I'm not sure if he yes, yes,
he's definitely still breathing his head. His head looks like
it's cracked. Jesus, there's blood everywhere. I'm sorry, what so
(06:54):
thank important to say? Directed by mime O'Donnell, brilliantly directed.
This was something you know, all of us at Monkey
Pot Productions were very excited about, like trying to make
the scariest horror podcast of all time. And you know what,
people normally use podcasts for a drive. You know, some
(07:15):
people play podcasts sleep I've heard and then this slides
into your playlist, you know, and this is something we
we we talked about in horror all the time, which
is this idea that it's it's the things you don't
see that that are the scaria. It is terrifying because
you've created this podcast that is essentially it sounds real.
It sounds like an actual conspiracy theorist, and we're following
(07:37):
him and his journey of creating this radio show that
sort of sets in a pre Trump world and he's
talking about everything that's happening in he's digging into conspiracies
and it feels too real. Jordan's it's and if this
is brilliant and Tracy Letts wonderfully plays this this character
and and this whole faustian thing. It ends up being
(07:57):
I'm not going to give away what the what is
going on? But then but there's there's something of yeah,
ass yeah, as discussed we need to but it's it's
a story that needs to be told in the sound
medium because there is a sound element to this parasite
(08:18):
and the it's scary when when you tell your stories
and and this is something that I feel you've always done,
whether it's in a sketch, whether it's in a movie,
and now even in the podcast, it feels like you're
commenting on the aspects of the world that we oftentimes
take for grants to or ignore because they almost seamlessly
(08:38):
happening to us, and you you take them, you amplify them,
and then it becomes a horror we can't look away from. Like,
why do you think it's important for us to focus
on those moments, to focus on what's happening in real life? Well,
it is, there's there's there. It's important for us to
pay attention to the real life monsters. And I think
it's important to too, and it's important for us to
(09:02):
feel fear as it is, you know, so much of this,
so much of this doom scrolling and stuff. It's it
really is about us. Uh, the fact that fear is
something we bury. Fear is something that we don't like.
We don't like that feeling will we will converted into
anger other things, and so anyway it signumbs us as
(09:26):
we scroll. Yes, So yeah, did I answer? Did I
answer the question with that? I? Well, can I just say, um,
I've loved everything that you've created. I I enjoy how
original your art is. I I also really appreciate you know,
(09:46):
how you work with the talent that you work with.
I mean Kiki Palmer. People have been loving her forever
to see to see her in the movie, to see
what you did with him. No, obviously, Daniel, you know
we've loved them since forever. You don't just create a story,
you also create stars. You know, you also give people
an opportunity to shine on the screen. And I would
love to know what you look for in these performance
(10:07):
that you think well, I mean, as it does successfully
convey the feelings that you're trying to get to the people. Well,
you know, first of all, I'm also I'm trying to
hitch my wagon to these moving trains. Right, I'm trying
to find people who are ready to do their the
their greatest role, you know, and in that perfect place.
So I very much. I'm so I'm so thankful that
(10:29):
you know, the Daniels and the key Keys of the
world will will come out and do it. But I'm
also looking for somebody who is really smart enough to
take over the character for me. I I do the
work to build this character up to a certain point,
and then I need somebody to come in and become
the expert so I can ask them how does Emerald feel?
(10:50):
And she can she can answer that question. We can
kind of move from there. And so you know, I
just I have very have the privilege of working with
people like like Daniel and like a Key who are
just you know, the best actors in the world. And
then we have the privilege of enjoying everything that you
will create together, the privilege of having you on the show.
Thank you, my friend, after you package will thank you again.
(11:11):
Sure kill everybody. Wat's the Daily Show weeknights and leven
tent Central on Comedy Central and stream full episodes anytime
on Paramount Plus. This has been a Comedy Central podcast
You're listening to Comedy Central. That feels girl, that feels
that feels absolutely wrong. Okay for appropriates, you think, So
that's appropriates. That's what we're gonna do. It's just gonna
(00:21):
be now of applause for you. That's overwhelming respect. That's
what you deserve. That's how you make people feel you deserve. No,
that's what you deserve, my friend. I mean, I mean
this honestly. I mean this so honestly. I you know,
I was, I was scrolling on my TV the other day,
and you know, I was bouncing around everything between like
(00:41):
YouTube and then going through Netflix and then bouncing like
different apps and watching It's amazing to see the impact
that you have had on the culture. You know, obviously
not really with Key and Peel, some of the funniest
moments and ideas still existing on TikTok kids loving them today,
and then you move into like what you did with
Keanu and then the new range of movies. I do
want to understand this one of the funniest people out there.
(01:05):
You were for a very long time putting out some
of the funniest content and now it's just like scary
ship is this fullbalanced what what happens? Is it weird
that I think it's funny? Is it? I? You know,
I think the comedy part of my career is still going.
(01:25):
I think it's still active. Wow, and part of that,
you know part. I talked about it as sort of
like the difference between comedy and horrors the music, and
it really does. It does feel like that, you know
when when we uh sorry, I'm sorry, now I'm puturing
Now I'm picturing the ceiling get out with the guys
(01:45):
running like you know, he's running at the camera, he's
like head on. But now I'm pting like means like
Benny Hill. And it's funny. It's funny and it's very funny.
And I could have done I was at the finish
line with that film. My have gone either way, it
would have been a very different film. Um. But but
thank you for saying that. Yeah, no, I I I'm
(02:05):
I love comedy. It became very uh complex somehow making
comedy in this world as it is complex. I think
making anything or getting anything accomplished in this world. It
feels like you were the only person who wasn't surprised
about the filmmaker you would turn into, you know, and
I think it's because you came from this world of sketch,
and sketch always seems unplanned and unprepared. It seems off
(02:26):
the cuff, but there's so much work that goes into it.
And and now you've you've turned into or rather you've
been revealed to us as this film maker. Like when
I was watching Nope, you're sitting in that movie theater,
nobody knows what's gonna happen, why it's gonna happen, how
it's gonna happen. You successfully got people to not spoil
any of the plot points. I don't know how you
did that, because people who saw there like, have you
(02:49):
seen Nope? I was like, no, I haven't, how is it?
They're like nope. But you you create, like you create
a feeling thank you well that you know I have.
I just have this love of my audience. And I
think when my audiences has been telling me and responding
to because that that very thing is something that they
love and that they're going to, uh, they're going to
(03:11):
show up for it. And so you know when and
and you know, you say, I knew, I you know
when I made when I wrote get Out, I didn't
I didn't even know if they would let me direct it.
I didn't. Yeah, that's that's how how much has changed
in my life. You know. I was trying to push
this thing and so I luckily I found a wonderful
(03:33):
home and wonderful producers for it. But when I made Nope,
that then I you know, I was like, Okay, now,
hold on a second. They're gonna let me direct a film.
You know, They're gonna let me direct a big movie.
And so there's a responsibility there is there is there
a pressure. Do you ever do you have a like
feel the weights of your own pressure? Because get Out
(03:54):
is one of the greatest movies that has ever been made.
From that moment onwards, everyone is expected you to create
the greatest movie ever made. There's always gonna be that pressure.
There's always gonna be criticism. This is gonna be the critics.
Do you feel that as well? Or do you find
yourself just making what you want to make? Well, you know,
there's a lot of people hate get Out, and there's
a certain who are these people? Well, they're out there,
(04:16):
they are out there. Wow, I get I get I
still get hate from from from that era. I mean,
there's a lot of people that don't like the you know,
the the agency that it brought interest me and other people.
I truly feel that. And so you know, and and
and and can you impeel as well? You know, you're
(04:37):
you realize people are gonna respond, but there's always gonna
be people who don't respond. And that's okay. That's part
of the adventure of doing something risky, doing something you're
not supposed to do, is that you're gonna be pissing
people off. But that's okay. I wonder if some people
are pistolf at what you illuminate in the stories that
you tell, because it's one thing to create a horror movie.
It's one thing to create thrill and suspense. It's another
(05:00):
thing to to weave into that story everything that we're
experiencing in real life. You know that there are themes
of race, there are themes of of gender, there are
there are themes like everything is encapsulated in the stories,
like you you went and went, what if there's racism,
and what if it's sexism, and what if there's also
a monster which seems you know, which is the very
(05:22):
much the real world. Once again a documentary, but no,
I uh, yeah, you know. I mean this one wanted
to be about this, you know, this idea that was
sort of forming in my head that there's some people,
there are some things in this world that are these
bad miracles. These are these things that are so entertaining
(05:43):
that it uh that were blinded to the danger of them.
And so I wanted to make a film about the
you know, the human response to these things and how
we interact with it and how we we will chase
it off a cliff. Wow, you do that with everything
that Because when they told me you had a podcast,
I thought you were going to be interviewing people. I
(06:04):
thought it was gonna be a conversation. They're like, no,
he made a horror podcast. So I was like, well,
but that's but that's not possible. And then they send
it to me and I was like, oh, this is
terrifying because I just have to use my ears. We
actually have a clip here. We can play a little
bit for you. Just listen to you even close your
eyes if you want to listen. I need to report
(06:26):
an accident. This guy he's hurt his head. There's there's
a lot of blood. I'm not sure if he yes, yes,
he's definitely still breathing his head. His head looks like
it's cracked. Jesus, there's blood everywhere. I'm sorry, what so
(06:54):
thank important to say? Directed by mime O'Donnell, brilliantly directed.
This was something you know, all of us at Monkey
Pot Productions were very excited about, like trying to make
the scariest horror podcast of all time. And you know what,
people normally use podcasts for a drive. You know, some
(07:15):
people play podcasts sleep I've heard and then this slides
into your playlist, you know, and this is something we
we we talked about in horror all the time, which
is this idea that it's it's the things you don't
see that that are the scaria. It is terrifying because
you've created this podcast that is essentially it sounds real.
It sounds like an actual conspiracy theorist, and we're following
(07:37):
him and his journey of creating this radio show that
sort of sets in a pre Trump world and he's
talking about everything that's happening in he's digging into conspiracies
and it feels too real. Jordan's it's and if this
is brilliant and Tracy Letts wonderfully plays this this character
and and this whole faustian thing. It ends up being
(07:57):
I'm not going to give away what the what is
going on? But then but there's there's something of yeah,
ass yeah, as discussed we need to but it's it's
a story that needs to be told in the sound
medium because there is a sound element to this parasite
(08:18):
and the it's scary when when you tell your stories
and and this is something that I feel you've always done,
whether it's in a sketch, whether it's in a movie,
and now even in the podcast, it feels like you're
commenting on the aspects of the world that we oftentimes
take for grants to or ignore because they almost seamlessly
(08:38):
happening to us, and you you take them, you amplify them,
and then it becomes a horror we can't look away from. Like,
why do you think it's important for us to focus
on those moments, to focus on what's happening in real life? Well,
it is, there's there's there. It's important for us to
pay attention to the real life monsters. And I think
it's important to too, and it's important for us to
(09:02):
feel fear as it is, you know, so much of this,
so much of this doom scrolling and stuff. It's it
really is about us. Uh, the fact that fear is
something we bury. Fear is something that we don't like.
We don't like that feeling will we will converted into
anger other things, and so anyway it signumbs us as
(09:26):
we scroll. Yes, So yeah, did I answer? Did I
answer the question with that? I? Well, can I just say, um,
I've loved everything that you've created. I I enjoy how
original your art is. I I also really appreciate you know,
(09:46):
how you work with the talent that you work with.
I mean Kiki Palmer. People have been loving her forever
to see to see her in the movie, to see
what you did with him. No, obviously, Daniel, you know
we've loved them since forever. You don't just create a story,
you also create stars. You know, you also give people
an opportunity to shine on the screen. And I would
love to know what you look for in these performance
(10:07):
that you think well, I mean, as it does successfully
convey the feelings that you're trying to get to the people. Well,
you know, first of all, I'm also I'm trying to
hitch my wagon to these moving trains. Right, I'm trying
to find people who are ready to do their the
their greatest role, you know, and in that perfect place.
So I very much. I'm so I'm so thankful that
(10:29):
you know, the Daniels and the key Keys of the
world will will come out and do it. But I'm
also looking for somebody who is really smart enough to
take over the character for me. I I do the
work to build this character up to a certain point,
and then I need somebody to come in and become
the expert so I can ask them how does Emerald feel?
(10:50):
And she can she can answer that question. We can
kind of move from there. And so you know, I
just I have very have the privilege of working with
people like like Daniel and like a Key who are
just you know, the best actors in the world. And
then we have the privilege of enjoying everything that you
will create together, the privilege of having you on the show.
Thank you, my friend, after you package will thank you again.
(11:11):
Sure kill everybody. Wat's the Daily Show weeknights and leven
tent Central on Comedy Central and stream full episodes anytime
on Paramount Plus. This has been a Comedy Central podcast
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