The Daily Show: Ears Edition - Jordan Peele - “Quiet Part Loud” & “Nope”

Episode Date: November 14, 2022

“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.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to Comedy Central. That feels good. That feels, that feels. Absolutely wonderful. That's what we're going to do. It's just going to be half an hour of applause for you. That's overwhelming. You know?

That's an overwhelming response. That's what you deserve. That's how you make people feel. That's what we're going to do. It's just going to be half an hour of applause for you. That's overwhelming. That's an overwhelming response. That's what you deserve. That's how you make people feel. That's what you deserve.

No, that's what you deserve, my friend. And I mean, I mean, honestly, I mean this honestly. You know, I was scrolling onto see the impact that you have had on the culture you know obviously no really with Key and Peel some of the funniest moments and ideas still existing on Tick-Tock kids loving them today and then you move into like what you did with Kianu and then the new range of movies I do want to understand this. Okay. You're one of the funniest people out there. You were for a very long time putting out some of the funniest content, and now it's just

like, like scary shit. Is this for balance? What happened? Is it weird that I think it's funny? Is it, you know, I think the comedy part of my career is still going. I think it's still active. Wow. And part of that, you know, part, I, I talk about it as sort of like the difference between

comedy and horror is the music. And it really does, it does feel like that, you know, when, when we, uh, sorry, I'm sorry. Now I'm picturing the scene in get out with, the, the, the, the, the, the, th, th. th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi, I, I, I'm, I, I, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I'm, I'm, th. th. th. t. t. t. ta. ta. ta. ta. ta. ta. ta. ta. ta. ta. th. the guy's running, like you know he's running at the camera and he's like head on, but now I'm picturing like, dit, dit, did, did, it, I mean. Just like Benny Hill, and it's funny. It's funny. And it's very funny. And I could have done it. I was at the finish line with that film. I could have gone either way. It would have been a very different film. It's it. It would it. It would th. It would th. It would th. It would th. It would th. It's, it. It's, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it th. It's th. It's th. It's th. It's th. It's th. It's th. It's th. It's th. It's th. It's th. It's like, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I th. Yeah, I, I, I, I th. Yeah, I, I, I, I, I th. Yeah, I, I, I th. Yeah, I, I, I th. Yeah, I th. Yeah, I th. Yeah, I th. Yeah, I th. I th. I th. It's th. It's th. It's th. It's th. It's like, th. It's th. It's like, th. It's, th. It's like, th. It's like, thi. I'm, the. It's like, th way. It would have been a very different film. But thank you for saying that. Yeah, no, I love comedy. It became very 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. And I think it's because you came from this world of sketch, and sketch always seems unplanned and unprepared. It seems off the cuff, but there's so much work that goes into it. And now 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 going to happen, why it's the the they it's, they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their, but their, but their, but their, but their, but their is is is their is their is their is their. their. their. there's is there's is there's is there's is there's is their. their. their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their thoome. thoomorrow. thoomorrow. thea. thooomorrow. thoooooomorrow. thooooooooooooooome. the. the. to happen, how it's going to 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 they're like, have you seen nope?

I was like, no I haven't. How is it? They're like, oh, no. Nope. Yeah. But you create, like, you know, I just have the to, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, tha, tha, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, thin, thin, thin, th. th. th. th. the, th. tho, the, to, th. the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, th........... th.. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. they, they, they, they're, they're, they're, they're, they're, they're, they're, they're like, they're, they're, they're, audience. And I think my audience has been telling me and responding to is that that very thing is something that they love and that they're going to show up for it. And so, you know, when you say I knew,

you know, when I wrote Get Out, I didn't even know if they would let me direct it. I didn't, yeah, that's that's how much has changed in my life. You know, I was trying to push this thing and so luckily I found a wonderful home and wonderful producers for it. But when I made NOPE, then I was like, okay, now hold on a second. They're gonna make let me direct a film, you know, they're going to let me direct a big movie. Right. And so there's a responsibility there. Is there a pressure? Do you ever, do you ever, like feel the weight of your own pressure? Because get out is one of the greatest movies that has ever been made. From that moment onwards,

everyone is expecting you to create the greatest movie ever made? There's always going to be that pressure. There's always going to be the criticism. There's always going to be the critics. Do you feel that as well, or do you find yourself just making what you want to make? Well, you know, a lot of people hate get out. And there's a certain... Well, who are the out there? They are out there. Oh, wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th................................................................................................... th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th era. I mean there's a lot of people that don't like the you know the the agency that it brought me and other people. I truly feel that. And so you know and and in Kian Peel as well you know you realize people are

going to respond but there's always going to 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.. th. th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th the the to do th the to be th th th the the th to be thi thi thi thi thi thi the the the thi that you that you're that you're that you're that you're that you're that you're that you're that you're that you're that you're that you're that you're that you that you that that that that that that that that that that that that th. th. th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the 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 going to be pissing people off, but that's okay. I wonder if some people are pissed off 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 to to to to to to to to to thinintertertertern. thiiiiiiii. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thrill thrill thrill thrill thrill thrill thrill. thrill. throwne, thr-a. thr-a. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi, thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. the the thi. thi. the thi. thi. they. thin. thin. thin. thin. thin. thin. thin. theeeeei. thin. theei. thin. they. they. thin. thi. thi. thi. thi. to weave into that story, everything that we're experiencing in real life. You know, there are themes of race. There are themes of gender. There are themes, like everything is encapsulated in a story.

It's like, you went and went, what if there's racism and what if there's also a monster? Which seems, you know? Which is very much the real world. It's once again, a documentary a documentary a documentary a documentary a documentary a documentary a documentary a documentary a documentary, a documentary, a documentary, a documentary, a documentary, a documentary, a documentary, a documentary, a documentary, a documentary, a documentary, a documentary, a documentary, a documentary, a documentary, a documentary, you know, which is the very much the real world. It's once again a documentary, but no. I, yeah, you know, I mean this one wanted to be about this, you know, this idea that was sort of forming 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 that were blinded to the danger of them.

Wow. And so I wanted to make a film about the human response to these things and how we interact with it and how we will chase it off a cliff. Wow. You do that with everything though because when they told me you had a podcast, I thought you were going to be interviewing people, I thought it was gonna be a conversation, they were like, no, he made a horror podcast. So, I was like, but that's, but that's not possible. And then they sent 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 wea here, we can wea, we can th. We can th. We can th. We can th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. tho, tho, tho, that. that, that, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the. the. thea. thea. thea. thea. thea. they thea. thea. they thea. thea. thea. the. the. Even close your eyes if you want, listen. Number one, what is your emergency? I need to report an accident. This guy, he's hurt his head. There's a lot of blood. Is he still breathing, sir? I'm not sure if he... Yes, yes, he's definitely still breathing. His head looks like it's cracked. Jesus, there's blood everywhere. That's what heads do work.

I'm sorry, what? Please please? That's what heads do work. I'm sorry, what? Please? Please. This. So, Thank you. Important to say, directed by Mimi O'Donnell, brilliantly directed.

This was something, you know, all of us at Monkey Paul Productions, we're very excited about, like, trying to make the scariest horror podcast of all time. And do you know what people normally use podcasts for? Are you familiar? You drive them? You have like a drive, you know? Yeah. Some people play podcasts to go to sleep.

I've heard of this. And this is something we talk about in horror all the time, which is thia, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, thi, thi, th, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, th. thi, thi, thi, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th. And, th. And, th.. And, th.. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, th horror all the time, which is this idea that it's the things you don't see that are the scariest. 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 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 it's and it this is brilliant and Tracy Letts be wonderfully plays this this character and and this whole Faustian thing yeah ends up being I'm not gonna give away what the what is going on but then but there is something of yeah

yeah as discussed we need to What is going on but then but there is something of yeah As discussed we need to But it's a story that needs to be told in the sound medium because there is a Sound element to this parasite and the it's scary When you tell your stories 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, it's the the the the the the the the the the th, it's?? the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the your stories, 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 a podcast, it feels like you are commenting on the aspects of the world that we oftentimes take for granted or ignore, because they're almost seamlessly happening to us.

And 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, uh, and it's important for us to feel fear as it is, the their their their their their their is, their their their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, to feel, thi. It's to feel to feel to feel to feel, to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to focus, to focus, to fa, to fa, to focus, to f. It's to to to to to th. It's th. It's th. It's th. It's th, th, th. is is is is th, th. is their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, the, their, to, to, their, to, to, to, to, to, to to to to to thi. It's thi. It's for us to feel fear as it is, you know, so much of this, so much of this doom scrolling and stuff, it really is about us, the fact that fear is something we bury. Fear is something that we don't like, we don't like that feeling. We will convert it into other things. And so anyway.

It sort of numbs us as we scroll. Yes. it into other things. Yeah, yeah. And so anyway, I- It sort of numbs us as we scroll, yeah. Yes. So, yeah. Did I answer the question with that? Right. Well, can I just say, I've loved everything that you've created. I enjoy how original your art is.

I also really appreciate, you know, how you work with the talent that you work with. I mean, Kiki Palmer, people have been loving her forever. To see her in the movie, to see what you did with her. No, obviously Daniel, we've loved them since forever. You don't just create a story. You also create stars. You also give people an opportunity to shine on the screen. And I would love to know what to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to the to the to the the the the to the the thoooo tho tho tho tho tho tho tho thoomk, thoome, the the, thoomk, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, the the their, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the the, the the, the the, the the, the the, the the, the the, thiiioluuu..e, Iooomoomorrow, Ioomorrow, Ioomorrow, Ioomorrow, Ioomorrow, Ioomorrow, Ioomorrow, Ioomorrow, thii, thi, the people an opportunity to shine on the screen and I would love to know what you look for in these performers that you think will, 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 to to to to find people who to find people who are to to find people who are to to to to to find people who are ready to to to to to to to do to do to do to their their their people who are ready to find people who are to do to do to do to do to do their. to do to do to do to do their. to find their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. I'm their. I'm their. I'm their. I will. I will. I will. I will. I will. I will. I will. I will. the the the the their. their their their their their their their their their their their their thea. thea. thea. thea. try. thea. try. Sothe. I'm try. Sothe. I'm thea. Sothe role, you know, and that perfect place. So I very much, I'm so thankful that, you know, the Daniels and the Kikis of the world 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 do the work to build this character up to a certain point. And then I need to the to to the tha tha the tha tho thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, I thi, thi, thoomoomoomom. I their thoom. I their tho, I tho, I'm tho, I'm tho, I tho, I tho, I tho, I tho, I tho, I tho, I tho, I tho, I tho, I tho, I tho, I tho, I tho, tho, tho, thin, thin, thin, thin, tho, the, tho, thoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. th. th. th 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 and she can answer that question we can kind of move from there and so you know I just I've very I have the privilege of working with people like Daniel and like Kiki who are just you know the best actors in the world. And then we have the privilege of enjoying everything that you all create together. The privilege of having you on the show. Thank you, my friend. Absolutely, absolutely joy. Thank you again. ShowKill, everybody.

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