After two horror hits in the past five years, filmmaker Jordan Peele returns with his third feature film outing, “Nope.” This time, he’s toying with an extraterrestrial twist.
The summer sci-fi movie will follow siblings OJ Haywood (Daniel Kaluuya) and Emerald Haywood (Keke Palmer) as they attempt to capture a snapshot of UFOs circulating their California ranch.
As one of the most highly anticipated films of the year, Peele has insisted on keeping the rest of the premise under wraps, providing cryptic trailers and urging audiences to wait until the moment they see the film to uncover how the Haywood siblings’ story plays out.
Here’s your complete cast and character guide to the characters in Peele’s third feature film, “Nope.”
Daniel Kaluuya as OJ Haywood
Kaluuya reunites with Peele in their second collaboration after “Get Out,” again playing the lead role in a horror feature. The actor portrays OJ Haywood, the older, impassive older brother to Palmer’s eccentric Emerald. OJ, unlike his sister, has continued working in the family business — as one of Hollywood’s only Black-owned horse trainers. It’s clear OJ’s involvement on the farm goes hand-in-hand with his companionship with the ranch’s horses. While the trajectory of OJ is still unsure, those who see “Nope” can expect a performance from Kaluuya that keeps the audiences at the edge of their seat.
Most known for his film role in Peele’s first film, “Get Out,” Kaluuya has become a global name. After earning an Oscar nomination for Best Actor for his performance in “Get Out,” three years later Kaluuya won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his work in “Judas and the Black Messiah.“ After breaking out in Netflix’s “Black Mirror,” Kaluuya has also starred in “Black Panther,” “Widows” and “Queen & Slim.”
Keke Palmer as Emerald Haywood
Palmer plays OJ’s sister, Emerald ‘Em’ Haywood, the prodigal sibling who left the ranch and family business. After their father Otis (Keith David) passes away, Em returns home to a world in turmoil, prompting her to investigate what is really going on at the ranch. Em sees the bizarre opportunity, but a prosperous one, and convinces her brother to film the UFOs in order to document a moment no one has ever been able to.
For summer 2022, Keke Palmer did not slow down one bit, this is the actress’ second big film of the season. After starring alongside Chris Evans in “Lightyear,” Palmer takes on outer space through UFO’s in Peele’s film. Prior to “Nope,” Palmer was a child actress starring in “Akeelah and the Bee” and “True Jackson VP.” As Palmer grew up, she took on more adventurous roles including “Scream Queens” and “Hustlers.”
Steven Yeun as Ricky “Jupe” Park
Oscar nominee Yeun portrays theme park director Ricky Park. Yeun’s character is a former child actor that works as theme park Jupiter’s Claim’s director. As a character who loves the spotlight, Ricky doesn’t shy away from performing for audiences within the film and performs shows at Jupiter’s Claim. Of the characters featured in the trailer, Ricky’s role in documenting the UFOs hasn’t been confirmed, and audiences will have to wait and see how Ricky assists the Haywood siblings.
Most known for his portrayal of Glenn on “The Walking Dead,” Yeun then heavily pivoted to film, appearing in Bong Joon-ho’s “Okja,” “Burning,” “Sorry to Bother You” and starring as the lead in “Minari,” which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. Yeun is to work with Bong again in the upcoming sci-fi thriller “Mickey7.”
Brandon Perea as Angel Torres
Perea plays Angel Torres, the Haywood siblings’ newfound accomplice: a tech wizard who negotiates a piece of the possible fortune.
Perea is most known for his role as Alfonso Sosa in “The OA” on Netflix. Following his role as Alfonso Sosa, Perea has appeared in “Doom Patrol” and “American Insurrection.”
Michael Wincott as Antlers Holst
Wincott portrays Antlers Holst, one of the very few characters that back the Haywood siblings’ belief that UFOs are circulating their ranch. As a veteran UFO believer, Holst assists Em and OJ in filming the aircrafts and aliens.
Wincott is known for his recent role on HBO’s “Westworld.” Prior to his work on that series, the actor appeared in “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,” “The Crow,” “Strange Days” and “Alien: Resurrection,” among many film and TV roles.
The cast of “Nope” also includes Barbie Ferreira, Keith David, Wrenn Schmidt, Devon Graye, Eddie Jemison, Oz Perkins, Donna Mills, Terry Notary, Andrew Patrick Ralston and Jennifer Lafleur.
