Daniel Kaluuya honoured with Leicester Square sculpture

Actor Daniel Kaluuya’s acclaimed performance in psychological horror film Get Out has been celebrated with a statue in Leicester Square.

The Hollywood star, who was there when the artwork was unveiled at a ceremony earlier, said it was “a bit of an overwhelming moment”.

The statue depicts a pivotal scene from Get Out, written and directed by Jordan Peele, where Kaluuya’s character is hypnotised by his girlfriend’s mother and finds himself receding into “the Sunken Place”, a suppressed metaphysical abyss.

Kaluuya said: “It’s a big moment in the film – it’s amazing that they managed to capture it. It’s amazing how dynamic the statue is; I really love that as well.”

He added: “If you’re from London, you can do whatever you want.”

Get Out took more than £190m at the box office, the highest-grossing debut film based on an original script in Hollywood history, and its status as a horror classic has only grown since its 2017 release.

The film is described as having had a profound effect on the representation of black people’s experiences of marginalisation and objectification.

Fans were polled on who they would like to see joining the “Scenes in the Square” trail of star statues in Leicester Square. Kaluuya was chosen after topping the poll of 5,000 people.

He said: “That’s what I find the most special about it – it’s voted by the public and the people.

“We make art for people, we make art for people to watch and to think and feel things, so the fact that it’s come back in this way is the best blessing – I’m just really thankful for the people.”

The success of Get Out propelled Kaluuya to global fame, leading to roles in Black Panther and an Oscar-winning performance in Judas and the Black Messiah.

The Londoner, who began his career as a writer on the Channel 4 show Skins, recently made his directorial and feature film-writing debut with The Kitchen, which he also produced.

Asked if he was now more Hollywood than London, he replied: “Come on bruv, I am in Hollywood, I work in Hollywood but I feel like I’m a real guy that just fell in love with my job.

“London is me, I am London, I really come from here.”

Kaluuya, who grew up in Camden, is the latest film icon to join Leicester Square’s Scenes in the Square trail – others include Harry Potter, Mary Poppins, Gene Kelly and Batman.

Mark Williams, deputy chief executive of membership organisation Heart of London Business Alliance, organisers of the trail, said the statue was a celebration of a modern cinematic success and homegrown British talent.