The Press Box - Lil Rel Howery on 'Get Out' (ep. 290)

Episode Date: March 27, 2017

The Ringer’s Micah Peters and 'Get Out’ star Lil Rel Howery examine his character, Rod (7:20), and take a look film’s intricate cinematography (12:05). Later, they discuss the future of "social thrillers" (23:40). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Welcome to a special edition of the Channel 33 podcast. I am Micah Peters. I'm a staff writer with The Ringer, and I am here with Lil Rel Rowrie, also known as Rod Williams, TSA from Get Out. How you doing today, man? I'm doing good, man. I wanted to know. So you said in past interviews that you discussed, you know, the concept for Get Out with George

like at a house party right no I wasn't at a house party that's just being nice we was at the Steven Spielberg pre-oscow party thing he throws okay which was already a weird night because it was I've never been around so many A-list people like I had to go to the bathroom a couple times about what I did I get invited to this um but yeah we sat there and we just talked and it's me and Jordan has had a couple moments like that we just had these long cool discussions but that's the first time he brought up that he wrote a script called get out and man, yeah, now we're here. But you also said that, like, he sent you the script,

and, like, immediately after you read the script, you were like, I need to do this. But I wanted to know, was there anything specific, like, in the script that you were like, this right here, the moment that you decided I'm going to be Rob Williams. Well, this is the thing about it. Like, with just the script in general, like, it was just like guess who's coming to dinner in real life

to all the information I got growing up. From family movies, like, do that if you want to. And I've never seen anything like that. And then I thought, like, all the little stuff, it just remind me of a bunch of different horror films. And that's, when I looked at the screen, I realized that, oh, this dude really is a, like, because sometimes people say they're fans and stuff,

and he's like, all right, and then you look at the material or whatever they do, like, that don't match, bro. Yeah. But he's actually an amount of, like, you see so many. Night of the Living Dead and Rosemary's baby. Hitchcock. Oh, that's in that.

Yeah, it's all there. Yeah. But also a thing about your Rod Williams' character is that then you were talking about this just now where you're saying that like, all right, do whatever you want to. It's kind of like you are speaking

from the audience's perspective where it's just kind of like you talk about like all the myths about what happens if you go to like white people's house and everything. I mean, Ron starts from the beginning. Like it ain't too many characters that start from the beginning of the movie.

Like we've seen similar characters of what Rob. is I can scream, right? Yeah. You know, he had all that information, but it was never nobody, like, just don't do it. Rod is, to me, the first character I've ever seen a horror that was, like, from the

beginning of the movie, like, I don't think you should be going. It wasn't like, a bunch of things happened as like, oh, maybe, no, I was like, no. Which is why, you know, at the end, whatever, that last line is just, it just makes sense. And that's why I love the character because it remind me a lot of myself

as far as, like, look, I help people all the time, but I tell people, look, if you want me to help you, I'm going to keep it 100 with you. Because, you know, some people, especially they messed up people where they always need money or something. Yep. They do not want you to call them on their crap. You know what I mean?

They can't handle it. They get mad. You know what I'm saying? You know what I'm saying? Because they don't want to hit a truth. So my thing is this, if you want me to help you do anything, look, you know, it's going to come with the truth, which actually, if you do that, people stop begging you for stuff. So he was talking about.

about the fact that you improvised some, and you were saying that when you were shooting like the first scene, when you were on the phone, you know, playing with Sid and talking to him about like, listen, like people get brainwashed. Like I heard about all this other stuff and you started going off the script. Was the Jeffrey Dahmer thing?

Was that like? No, see, that's so funny. That was in it. It was so funny you do things when you forget the exact line and just play with it, which is why one of the things I did, when he was like, okay, that's just Jeffrey Dahmer business because it was I forgot what I was really supposed to say

well that's Jordan writing that Jeffrey Daen I remember reading it like you want me to say this alright well here we go you know yeah that definitely emipos it because it's just kind of like it's almost like you're getting so flustered that you can't remember what you're supposed to be saying it's I was really in character which is why like it's so funny I saw an interview recently what Jordan said and he never told me this at first but in an interview he said because they was asking about me and how he found he's like well when he wrote the movie be the voice he was hearing as he was writing,

Rob was me. And I'm like, man, why you make me audition if you wrote it's for me? But yeah, that's why it's so funny, because people think I just freestyle the whole movie. Like, you winged everything, didn't you, that was just you. Like, no, he wrote some really dope words.

I just, he let me deliver it in the way I only can. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, like it was, he was actually talking about that on still processing, I think, where he was just saying that, like, it's the sunken place itself is sort of like a mirror of being

the experience of being black and watching a horror movie. And then, like, the first time that you see a black character show up on the screen, you're like, damn, he's not going to make it out the first 15 minutes. I mean, think about that. Like, how many movies have you seen where you you're basically in the sunken place?

You're yelling. FAM! I remember watching, you remember that that one screen where they killed Jada Pickett and a man in the beginning of the movie? See, people don't remember it. It was in the movie theater and she was getting stabbed and everybody thought it was a part of the movie.

God, Liam, oh man, I must be a old man. I mean like, listen, okay, scream two. It was scream two. Yes, that was one of the craziest beginnings of a movie. I was so heartbroken but it was like, eh, yeah, and everybody just laughing. That's a good time. Everybody should know that before we

started rolling. He brought up Meteor Man, which came out in 1992. An amazing movie. Which, I mean, like, I've seen it on, you know, like, it might have been on stars, like, when I was at home during the summer, when I was, like, 12, and I watched, like,

30 minutes of it here, and then, like, 20 minutes. I remember the kid with the blonde hair. It was a whole gang called the Goldilodes. They all had blonde hair. And it was just notorious. They had the kid gang. They had the grown-up game. They had a teenagers, part of the gangs.

They had different sections of the game. And they ran the neighborhood. The little kids was beating up people. It was, but it's like, it's one of those nostalgia things you just enjoy. Like, that movie was amazing. Because it was, it was Robert Townsend trying to show, the message

was just showing the community that, you know, the community could step up and stand up for their own neighborhoods, right? That's what the whole point of the story is. You know, we, I mean, we had to make a superhero because that's the really only way it's going to happen. Somebody touched him by green. Radioactive stuff.

I mean, Cosby's, I mean, well, I guess, breaking up Cosby now. But he's in a movie, and it's, I ain't, whatever, man. Okay. So a lot of people had, like, a very, like, because of that quality of the Rod Williams character being, like, from the audience's perspective, there's been, like, you are basically the only hero of the movie.

it feels like. I mean, like, have you been... It's funny because everybody says, you're the hero. They go to hero, yeah. What a hero? But I'm like, you know this dude just had to kill all these people to get out of that?

Yeah. I mean, it's just like the... I was the friend. But that's interesting, too, because all rod is just a good friend, which it makes you think about, like, wait, how many people don't have legit good friends?

Yeah, but I mean like in the sense that there are almost like Rod is probably the only person that you can just uncomplicatedly root for in the movie. Just because even towards the end with everything that's happening to Chris where I mean like you're like everybody in the audience is cheering as he's killing everybody on the way out the house. And then even laughing up to the point where she were where Alison Williams character is just like last last gas effort to just be like I love you. and he's just like, okay. And then, yeah, and then people are laughing then. I mean, it's hilarious. But then it lingers. And it feels like, there's this weird kind of, like, energy

where it feels like a line is being crossed. Where it's just like they're, like, Rod is the only pure character, it feels like, I guess. Yeah, it's, the riders, if you think about it, is the only real person in his life. You know, he lost his mom. Chris lost his mom early. It's a very interesting thing where people take advantage of you, right?

There's so many weird messages in this, which is why, you know, getting psych, like, getting help is a big thing. You know, and in the black community, you know, it's known that, you know, we don't like to see therapy. That's just real talk. You know, people are like, you just pray it off. You'll be okay. Sometimes I need to talk to somebody. Which is why she was able to take advantage of him, because he never dealt with. As much as he said he was over it, he never dealt with it.

Which is why every time they bring up his mind was a nervous twitch or the reason why he probably smokes or what. whatever, it's because he never dealt with it. And that's why she was able to use that and take advantage of them. And it happens all the time. I don't happen that deep into it, but it happens, which is why, like, I tell most actors and actresses, like, you know, you go to these general meetings and they want to know all this personal information about you. It ain't just because they want to get to know you.

I feel like it's because, you know, they want to have one over you. Like, you know, they know your weaknesses. So you feel like you're getting out of control and you ain't dealt with something. Boom. Because, I mean, you see it, man. It happens to all types of stars. It's not even just Black Star. Like anybody, anybody knows too much stuff that you haven't dealt with.

I'm telling you, anybody who has any type of power will use that against you. Yeah, he wield it against you. Yeah. Definitely. I think that it's, I wanted to say that one of the things that makes the movie so uniquely horrifying is because it plays on the idea of trust. Actually, Allison Davis wrote a, Allison P. Davis, excuse me, wrote a piece about this on the ringer. You should go check that out.

But it's just basically how it plays on the idea. idea of trust about how actually you're the only trustworthy person in the movie again. So it's just like you were saying, just if you give too much of yourself away without really knowing that much about the other person, like kind of like the turn heel where she won't give him the keys. Right. It's like the scene in Jurassic world where the Raptors turn on Chris Pratt. That's funny.

Yeah, that's real. Yeah, yeah. I mean, which is why I like Rod so much is he just was a really confident guy, right? That's a guy who knows who he. Even though he was only a TSA agent, you saw he talked to talk to the police. You know what I mean? I mean, look, we got the same training. But, you know, because that's how confident he is and whoever he is.

You can't trick him. That's just what it is. about that police station scene because I've actually let me start here you've seen the movie multiple times correct yes 12 times 12 times wow okay because I got to go to screenings and stuff yeah yeah I mean but like how many of those have been like just of your own volition let's go see this as a group six times yeah I've seen it with different groups of friends right because it's a fun it's actually a fun outing to go see get out and then go hang out afterwards and just talk about it Yeah.

But the quality, the attention of detail is so painstaking and so, like, granular. You keep noticing, like, small things as the movie's going along. One of the last times I went to see it, I think I've seen it five times now, actually. Just because it's a different experience every time. Like, you notice, like, different things, like, the way the audience interacts with it and, like, even, like, small, thematic things. Yes. But one of the most recent ones when I went to see it was that police station scene. And I'd noticed for the first time that all the police officers were not white.

And I wanted to know if there was any sort of significance to that or if you thought there was. I'd never thought about it like that, actually. And that's funny that you say that. Yeah, I mean. Because I'm going to tell you why, I think the joke of them not taking him seriously, it feels better when it's not white cops laughing. a black dude saying this. So I could even get the black cops

to believe me. You know what I mean? Yeah. So it's, see, that's why I'm like, Jordan is, you don't throw the word genes out there like that. But he kind of is. I mean, just strategically,

every little thing. I'm so proud of him, man, because, you know, sometimes people look at comedians, like we just one thing. And I'm like, now some of the most smartest people I know are stand-up comics actually yeah I promise you they like it's insane some of the most ignorant dudes who say the craziest stuff on stage talking to them these dudes are like

dictionaries I mean yeah like it's just that's crazy that you but yeah that's what it feels like so many little things in that movie every smaller thing feels like it links to a larger thing I just saw something that's crazy what so when Allison is in the eating the Cheerios and I've seen this once again 12 times or 12 times that's when I saw this and I noticed on that back wall are all the pictures that he found

maybe he was looking through the pictures of the boyfriends on that back wall it's all those pictures she framed all of them and it was sitting on her wall and it was the way I noticed it was like oh no come on y'all are crazy

oh man that's insane to me yeah even just the fact that like Chris eventually succeeded by using cotton. Like that was, that was unbelievable to me. Just so many little. Yeah. And the blind guy that ends up, like towards the end of the movie,

when the, and I feel like spoilers are now a personal problem. If you haven't seen this movie, it's a month out. You should really, you know, sort that out. At this point, yes. There's this process called the Coagula. He's sitting in a chair. And basically, it is having somebody else's personality transfixed onto yours to where you're just the body and they get to be the functioning person.

Anyway, the guy that he is the blind guy, he's talking about I couldn't care less about being more stylish or stronger or more athletic or whatever. I love that too. Exactly. He didn't care about him being black. He just wanted, he legitimately wanted his eyes. Performance is, I felt like it was like the performative distancing thing, like where that couldn't possibly be me. Like, you know, I'm not where the bar of where basically racist microaggressions

are acknowledged is, like, extremely high. You know? I mean, it's so funny, like, with the cast, right? When all of us are talking, first of all of us, like, man, you were great, not, but you were great, is all that. But I like that each character was so important, right? Which is why cast and was, I just like when some, like, because it wasn't a big, you know, it wasn't a bunch of A-list people. He got exactly who can deliver these characters who can give you the right,

like, I mean, Betty, Gabriel, she's great as Georgina. You know, it's at one point where you see her battling, they're battling each other basically, like, no. You know, that's her telling the black girl, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. And that's her, it's just, It's just so creepy and so great at the same time. Yeah, it's creeped.

I had to do ADR with her, so I saw the movie first, and we was doing ADR, and it was like the first 10 seconds with me just looking at her, like, you cool? And she's a sweetheart, but she is an insanely talented actress, man.

That, which is like, you know, I mean, I appreciate people always showing love or whatever, but to do with her and Daniel and Allison did, just these, You know who I am from the beginning of the movie, right? Right. You're just, as the movie go on, you're seeing who they are. Yeah, you figure it, like, it starts out with, like,

Daniel Kluy's character, Chris. It just seems like he's just so stoic and, like, not phased or moved. The needle doesn't move that far in either direction for a large part of the movie. And then everything comes apart. Like, and it's, it's just like, it's an interesting progression to see throughout

Because I mean like you're thinking about how is this going to work and then it works perfectly. I mean, I mean, Catherine, they all, I mean, she was so like masterful in this. Like it was something I noticed and once again, sorry anybody that ain't saw it, but come on, go see it. At one point, if you see it enough times and you know that the grandmother is Georgina and she's poor I mean, she kept porn and messed up. And then the mother was like, won't you go lay down? And in that scene, if you look at the dad, he's sad

because she did just disrespect his mom. Right? And if you watch it now, it's like, Georgia, you're like, oh, okay. Who are you talking to? This is my house. Guess what, we're trying to trap this black guy, so I'm going to play it cool.

but you don't talk but you can look at the dad face looking disappointed like he did like seeing his mom talk to like it is I'll tell you watching you start noticing everything very very small face ah that's crazy good acting

it's just it's remarkable it really is yeah so this movie was you said that this was about

what about this movie do you think is what makes it so terrifying. I mean, like, is it primarily the trust thing, or is it because it's close to reality? No, racism is horrifying. It's just that simple.

That's what this premise is. It wasn't about blood and guts. Racism is one of the scariest things. Scariest things in our world. True. This is very true. And craziness happens from that. I mean, that's, it's literally just that simple.

which is, I mean, Jordan is just a smart guy. This ain't a horror film. Like, racism ain't horrific to you? Yeah. Because it is. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, like, it's the fact that it was written during the 2008 election. And then, like, the fact that it comes out in this different atmosphere, like, just kind of amps up the atmospheric weirdness of it.

It's just, like, it's just that weird prophetic timing. Yeah. Every once in a while, especially when it comes to arts in real life, it happens, which is why, like, if anything, if anything I'm proud of is being a part of this classic movie. Because that's what it's going to be, and that's the only thing that's kind of surreal about it. And I text Jordan all the time, like, every few days, it's like, man, this is... Remarkable. This is crazy, man. It's crazy.

Yeah. But you had said that there was an alternate ending to the movie. Yeah. Right? And there's at the end of that scene where Chris is choking rows out in the middle of the street and the cop car pulls up. And I think that that is, in addition to when Bradley Whitford is talking about how they ran over a deer on the way home.

And it's so obvious that he's talking about minorities and not deer. He's just like I see a dead one on the side of the street and I think that's a start. I'm just like, that's just extremely creepy. I think that that moment right at the end of the movie is just kind of like you're just pulling your hair out because you're like, oh, the cops are here and they're not going to understand. That's what Jordan is smart. He knew, man, look, we see enough for this, right, in the world and craziness. He just wanted to make people happy at the end. And I think that's why audiences lose it when they see, you know,

we're coming up. We need to see that, right? And look, man, a lot of people do stuff, and they just end dark, and you be stressed out at the movie or after you watch an episode or something. I think the genius is to do something like he did, and it didn't feel corny. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. And because that, the first ending to this movie was, I remember shooting it and, like,

all of us had to take a walk because it's darker and it's sad. You know what I mean? Because I think that's how I booked this movie. It wasn't because I was funny was when I was able to deliver this last scene. And that's one of the things we did at the callback. We did the other stuff, but that's easy for me

to do riff beat funny. But then when we did that last thing, that's how I booked that movie. I remember just to audition room just being silent and just Jordan, like, Yeah, yeah man, thanks. And then I went outside. I was all messed up and I had to like get my head back together or whatever. Because you got to put yourself in a place where you're, you know, you're trying to save your friend and you can't.

It just so because, and that's another thing, even Rod's character, you're going to see, because they're going to put it on a DVD. You're going to see the heart in that too, but it's very sad. It's very sad, man. It's like, damn. I mean, it already. I think people would have been in the theater. It's crying, man. Yeah.

And stretch that. Maybe got to fight. A lot of things, man. What you look at it? Just be waiting outside of the movie lobby shirtless, ready to fight everybody. But this is why you got to watch. I'm glad they put it on the DVD so you can experience that scene in your own, you know, your own space.

But you would recommend watching it earlier the day to where you can actually go outside and walk around. If that was the only thing you see, because you've seen the original ending, you're good. you know you got your ending that you needed to have, right? So this one, you're just watching because you're a fan of the movie. You're going to be like, damn. Well, all right. What about, I mean, like with Split and with Get Out, both of those kind of deal with, I mean, and it follows and so on and so forth. It's just kind of like you're going to, do you think you're going to see more social thrillers like that, like a bumper crop of them in the,

Yeah, Jordan has like, well, he's told me about two more ideas. But he got about four or five. And it's interesting to see what other people do too, right? If we're going to see other filmmakers really go creative with it too. Because we can go just one way. Like, I mean, Moonlight's a great movie. You know what I'm saying? And it's not a social thriller, but it's just we haven't a lot of truth things happen.

And I like that in cinema and television. I think we're going to see a lot more, especially from him, though. And that's why I'm told him, whatever you want me to do, brother, I'm in it. You know what I mean? So, and which is why I'm very grateful and blessed, man, to be able to do this movie, even to be on a Carmichael show. We talk about a bunch of things. Right.

This season are going to be even crazy. It's very, like, Norman Learish. And it's interesting how they all the way that they net. So the Carmichael show is a network comedy. Yeah. And you navigate around very deftly around a lot. lot of weighty issues like reproductive rights, gun control, police brutality. There's one that deals with the election and I think that the recent, the most recent

news story I read about it was the fact that there is the in the N-word is in the first episode seven times. Yeah. And I mean like, I don't know, I'm just, like, it's, but that's the, like, and what's going to be great about that episode is, conversation that's happening already between old and young about is this word what the word means is it should we get rid of it should can everybody say it now because the hip because the hip because the hip hop car like it's a lot of and that conversation is happening in the show and this is what I love about the car michael show each character has their own opinion and uh that episode was it was fun to do because we do a last few your audience they don't know what they walking into

Right. You know what I mean? So every week I actually look forward to when we do the show. Like after the maybe the first few scenes, the audience just start having their own conversation. Like, whew, right, I think you're going to really go there. So, I mean, in this episode, that's, oh, my God, that's going to be, it's going to be crazy. And there's a couple, look, man, we got a consent episode this season that talks about, you know, what's that line? I mean, like, you've also dealt with date rape in the past.

Yeah. Yeah. And this one, this one gets a, but see, it's a different subject, though, right? It is a different subject. The first was more or less Cosby than anything, right? And it was dealing with, can you, you know, separate what a celebrity does in their work from their personal stuff? You know what I mean? And then we do that, but we pick and choose who we do that with.

Yeah, the ethical compromises of hero worship. It's because I always had that argument with home girls who love R. Kelly. And they hate Bill Cosby. I'm like, yeah, but he had a tape. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. It's just like, I mean, it's a lot of. I mean, because I can't, and that's look, man, I'm just, I'm from Chicago, I keep one hundred, I don't care, I got a daughter, I can't listen to him.

Because I don't know who he's singing to. Exactly. So all the songs I used to love, I'm like, oh. I mean, then and also, like, when his most recent album came out, he was just like, I can't believe black people didn't support me. Like, and then, like, because his album went double wood chip. And he was just like, I can't believe that y'all didn't do that. It was very cowardly. I mean, and then you get me cocky about it.

ain't cool neither. You know what I mean? So look, at least you ain't in jail and ain't not taking the stuff away. Ain't taking away nothing from you. You know, you know, Bill Cosby, everything has been stripped from him. Kelly, you still selling out Constance,

but you're all right, bro. Oh, man. Well, I appreciate you stopping by today to talk about Get Out and to talk about the upcoming season of the Carl Michael Show, which mirrors on May 31st. 31st.

Yeah. Everybody should go watch that. Also go read both Cam Collins and Allison P. Davis's pieces about get out on the ringer.com. This is Michael Peters. I'm a staff writer with Ringer. And again, this is Little Rowher. Thanks for coming by. See ya.

Thank you, man.