STYLIST: MICHAEL NASH. PROP STYLIST: FAETHGRUPPE. GROOMING: HEE SOO KWON FOR MALIN + GOETZ. SUIT, SHIRT, AND TIE: CALVIN KLEIN. make fun of white people funny (or scary) itis to ethnicities, andjusthow of actorsplaying other not-so-wokethe trend racially tense horror movie, JORDAN PEEL pop culture, including at the stateof race in of catch-up? GQlooks just playing aslow game narrowing, or are we racial gapinHollywood Lena Dunham. Is the Whitewashing. #oscarssowhite. Color Living in Now Culture: Pop >

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MARCH 2017 GQ . COM 81 THEPUNCHLIST Jordan Peele Is Terrifying The Key & Peele star goes solo with a real horror story: being black in America

jordan peele’s directorial debut, Get Out, is the story of a black man who visits the family of his white girlfriend and begins to suspect they’re either a little racist or plotting to annihilate him. Peele examined race for laughs on the Emmy-winning series Key & Peele. But Get Out expresses racial tension in a way we’ve never seen before: as the monster in a horror Why do you think that is? the layer of race that enriches flick. caity weaver EGG ON YOUR talked to Peele in his Black creators have not been and complicates that tension given a platform, and the [in Get Out] becomes relatable. (BLACK)FACE editing studio about African-American experience An index of racially using race as fodder for can only be dealt with by My dad is a black guy from questionable role-playing a popcorn thriller and an African-American. That Philly. I once dated a white guy just how you can might be problematic to say. from the South. Before they Multiracial make the white people. And now that I think about met, my only request to my women played by it, [The Stepford Wives author] father was “Please don’t Angelina Jolie: 1 Ira Levin is a man, and he bring up slavery.” Within two (A Mighty Heart) GQ: A race-based horror movie and Roman Polanski wrote minutes: “Your family own feels extremely well timed in Rosemary’s Baby. Let’s say slaves?” Have you ever had a Asian-Americans 2017. How long have you been it would be scary for a white meeting with parents go awry? played by Emma working on ‘Get Out’? writer and director to do No, I’m pretty good with Stone: 1 (Aloha) JORDAN PEELE: I started something that includes the parents. But there are situations messing around when Hillary victimization of black people where I’ll feel racially isolated, Native Americans and Barack were going at it for in this way. Of course, we have and I don’t necessarily know played by Johnny the Democratic nomination. this trope where the black how much of it is warranted— Depp: 2 (The It was the first time I looked guy is the first to die in every am I being the racist one? That Brave, The Lone at the gender and racial civil horror movie—that’s a way is what this movie is about. Ranger) rights movements in relation for [white filmmakers] to have to each other, and I realized their cake and eat it, too. The fraught relationship People of color that horror films about gender between black people and cops played by celebs are some of my favorite A lot of the horror in the is touched on early in the on Halloween: movies. Rosemary’s Baby and movie comes from the fact that movie. The main character in countless (e.g., The Stepford Wives explored it can be scary to be black. In ‘Get Out’ is played by British Julianne Hough, the fear of men making some situations, it’s just social actor Daniel Kaluuya, who left, as Crazy Eyes; decisions for women in such anxiety, but in others, there’s sued the London police in 2013 Jason Aldean as an artful, fun, scary way. a real threat that just doesn’t for allegedly assaulting and Lil Wayne) exist for the white characters. falsely imprisoning him after Does the African-American One of the [great] things mistaking him for a drug Michael Jacksons experience have an equivalent? about Guess Who’s Coming to dealer. Still, were you hesitant played by Joseph No, except [zombie classic] Dinner that anybody can relate about not using an African- Fiennes: 1 (Urban Night of the Living Dead. In to is the uncomfortableness American actor for this role? Myths, mercifully the post-civil-rights movement of meeting your in-laws for the Most important was having an canceled before era, there are no movies that first time and being at a party actor who related to the its 1/19 premiere)

really tackle the horror of race. where you’re the outsider. So isolation of being the only COLLECTION; PICTURES/EVERETT COLUMBIA COLLECTION; VANTAGE/EVERETT PARAMOUNT TOP: FROM RIGHT, BOTTOM PERSE. JAMES T-SHIRT: EDUN. JACKET: ARTS SKY OF COURTESY BYRD/PACIFICCOASTNEWS; DEVONE COLLECTION; PICTURES/EVERETT DISNEY MOUNTAIN/WALT PETER

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black person in a given space. My presumption was that T V: Black-ish (But Mostly Still White-ish) might be a uniquely African- Though I am a conscientious black woman, I mostly watch TV while trying to fall asleep rather than American experience. But when I asked Daniel, he was looking for nuanced differences between shows geared toward black audiences and those that, like, “No, bro. This is what well, aren’t. Turns out when you watch television while fully conscious, there are discrepancies. my friends and I are always talking about, bro.” THE MARVEL SHOWS () vs. Daredevil (Netflix) Most superheroes have is able to use the power regular black men trying Let’s talk about white people. endearing ailments of echolocation to to look out for themselves Were you ever concerned that impact how the dodge bullets, people in Harlem face: Cage about making the ones in this world responds to sometimes try to help struggles to make movie too evil? them. Like, Daredevil/ Murdock cross the rent while working two Part of what horror is is taking Matt Murdock (Charlie street. Meanwhile, Cage jobs as a dishwasher risks and going somewhere Cox) is blind. Luke has super strength and and a janitor. Also, the that people think you’re not Cage (Mike Colter) is impenetrable skin. He music is much, much supposed to be able to go, in black. Although he still deals with things that better on Luke Cage. the name of expressing real- life fears. I put a lot of thought into [the evil of the white THE MAINSTREAM HITS Empire (Fox) vs. Madam Secretary (CBS) characters], and no one ever Empire is a celebration Lyon, dresses like an black character. (She suggested that I change it. of the black nouveau ape at a rally to free her works for Téa Leoni’s riche—hoverboards as ex from prison. Watched Elizabeth McCord.) Besides systemic racism, what actual transportation, on mute, it looks like If Cookie were in are you afraid of? ? wigs for miles. But the a Black Lives Matter Elizabeth’s world, she I want to believe in ghosts. show also confronts protest. That’s a beautiful wouldn’t be the hero. I love stories. We were race. In the season-two thing to see on TV. She’d be a punch line. shooting Keanu in New Orleans, premiere, Taraji P. On Madam Secretary, Or worse: a victim and the whole cast went on Henson, a.k.a. Cookie there’s one recurring for Elizabeth to save. this ghost tour, led by this sexy, swarthy guy. Like, “If these streets could talk, they’d tell THE INDIE-AUTEUR SERIES Atlanta (FX) vs. Girls (HBO) some pretty scary stories. Just like Girls’ Hannah, white acquaintance up with a half-assed But you probably don’t want I’m a young woman. feels overly comfortable solution. Glover’s to hear about that....” I was A self-centered writer saying “nigga.” arc ends when Hannah, looking over at Method Man living in New York, Girls got some claiming she doesn’t like, “Oh, my God, I brought even! Unlike Donald backlash after season “see” race, dumps him a member of the Wu-Tang Glover’s character one for its treatment with an accusation of Clan to this fucking ghost tour. on Atlanta, I’m not an of race. (Ignoring it.) fetishizing her whiteness. He’s going to hate it.” At the unemployed single Creator Lena Dunham Dunham winks at the end of the tour, Method Man parent with a criminal responded by bringing audience to show her raises his hand. I was like, record. But wouldn’t on Atlanta’s Glover self-awareness. Then, “Oh, here it comes.” He goes, you know which show to play Hannah’s black like Hannah, she makes “Sometimes I wake up and I connect with more? Republican boyfriend. them feel bad for pointing I feel something sitting on my On Atlanta, a woman Like Dunham, Hannah out racial problems chest. What is it?” And I’m wears a headscarf sees a lack of diversity that she doesn’t want thinking, It’s blunts, it’s blunts, while she sleeps. A in her life and comes to think about. stop smoking blunts. But the tour guide is like, [nodding] “That’s going to be a night .” Even as culture changes, a series like Atlanta, by and for black people, is a rarity. But as we see more shows like this—when fictional black people can be regular and boring like fictional white people—then One more question: Is ‘Get Out’ we can truly ascend, on TV and everywhere else. Glover, Issa Rae (HBO’s Insecure), Michaela Coel coming out during Black (Netflix’s Chewing Gum), and many others have furthered that movement. I’m grateful for that, and History Month on purpose? even more grateful that this means more very hot black men will be on my screens ASAP.—MARIAH SMITH Yeah!

A SPECTRUM OF WOKENESS SUPER PROBLEMATIC!

Lemonade The Carmichael Show’s Matt Damon playing Awards shows portraying Lena Dunham publicly Cosby episode, which a hero in ancient Sofia Vergara (the imagining Odell also grapples with Mark China in The Great Wall. highest-paid TV actress) Beckham Jr.’s sexist Wahlberg’s ’80s hate Asian-Americans saw as a sexy foreign doofus inner monologue at the SUPER WOKE! SUPER crime and Michael whitewashing. The Chinese somewhere between Met Ball: “That’s a dog… Richards’s N-word rant. were reportedly psyched. Salma Hayek and Borat. do I want to fuck it?” ‘LUKE CAGE’ AND ‘DAREDEVIL’: COURTESY OF NETFLIX. ‘EMPIRE’: COURTESY OF FOX. ‘MADAM SECRETARY’: COURTESY OF CBS. ‘GIRLS’: COURTESY OF HBO. ‘ATLANTA’: COURTESY OF FX. BEYONCÉ: COURTESY OF OF COURTESY BEYONCÉ: FX. OF COURTESY ‘ATLANTA’: HBO. OF COURTESY ‘GIRLS’: CBS. OF COURTESY SECRETARY’: IMAGES. ‘MADAM FOX. OF KOPALOFF/GETTY COURTESY JON ‘EMPIRE’: DUNHAM: NETFLIX. LENA OF GRANITZ/WIREIMAGE. COURTESY STEVE VERGARA: ‘DAREDEVIL’: SOFIA AND CAGE’ ‘LUKE MAYER/WIREIMAGE. JEFFREY DAMON: MATT IMAGES. NAVARRO/GETTY DESIREE CARMICHAEL: JERROD ENTERTAINMENT. PARKWOOD

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The Cultural The Unlikely Recommendation Saturation Chart MANDY MOORE Start at the top to learn about the things you won’t be able to escape this March. Read lower to check out My love for Mandy Moore is Hollywood fame, a call her the weird stu≠ you can’t a≠ord to miss still, to this day, like candy. agent probably got after Jessicas How could this be? Why would Alba and Biel passed. Moore this be? By any fair estimation, broke out almost 20 years ago her career has been as ordinary as a singer, a sort of thinking as her talent. (Forgive me, man’s Britney Spears/afraid-of- M.M., heart of my heart!) She leather man’s Xtina—but I don’t

HIGH CULTURAL SATURATION CULTURAL HIGH THANKS, GOD! currently stars in the worst- even know if she sings anymore. In addition to his labors on earth, our Lord and titled show in TV history, NBC’s (Google-search update: She Savior watches over his on-screen flock. GQ reviews This Is Us. It’s a nice show. The does!) So what the hell is it? the work of the most helpful fictional deities Golden Globes, and my mom, This is the core: This Is Us is love it enough for it to have been the perfect middlebrow platform god: George Burns, Oh, God! renewed for two more seasons. for her lovely blandness. She aid to mankind: Bringing the Word to non-believers Her most memorable previous is right where she belongs, here role was as…herself, briefly, with us, specifically on NBC. god: Alanis Morissette, Dogma on Entourage, as one of Vinny’s I hope she never goes away. aid to mankind: Smiting ex-flames, a signifier of B-list —DEVIN GORDON god: Morgan Freeman, Bruce Almighty and Evan Almighty aid to mankind: Bestowing empathy unto the wicked This Month in Superheroism god: Will.i.am, Joan of Arcadia aid to mankind: Begetting Will.i.am’s MARVEL’S acting career god: Octavia Spencer, The Shack (March 3) ‘’ aid to mankind: In the book this is (March 17 on Netflix) based on at least, testing a man of faith by letting a serial murderer nicknamed the who’s that? Little Ladykiller (because he kills little Orphan/kung fu expert/ ladies) kill a little lady (the man’s daughter). Buddhist/billionaire Actually, this is just a dick move by God. entrepreneur Danny Rand (played by Finn Jones)

before we get any further… The GQ Survey Yes, he’s white. (See previous page.) ADAM PALLY MULLAN/GETTY IMAGES; STEFANIE KEENAN/GETTY IMAGES; COURTESY OF MYLES ARONOWITZ/NETFLIX MYLES OF COURTESY IMAGES; KEENAN/GETTY STEFANIE IMAGES; MULLAN/GETTY off-duty wardrobe C Freshman-year-dorm-weed- IS A MASTER... dealer bathrobe …of writing in crayon and stickers (in on-duty wardrobe real life) and time travel (on the Fox comedy Freshman-year-dorm-weed- Making History, premiering March 5). dealer tracksuit (featuring a life-size rendering of Rand’s enormous dragon chest tattoo) Would you prefer a beer in the shower or wine in the bath? at stake Defeating “the criminal element corrupting his world around him.” (No word on Please describe your recurring . whether season two is set in D.C.)

how’d he get his powers? He “slew Shou-Lao, a feat no other warrior had ever accomplished, and plunged his hands into the brazier, imbuing himself with the mystic energy of the Iron Fist.”

brazier? It’s like an oven. What movie or television scene do you most regret watching with your parents? SATURATION CULTURAL LOW CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: COURTESY OF RON BATZDORFF/NBC; WARNER BROS./COURTESY OF EVERETT COLLECTION; SGRANITZ/WIREIMAGE; UNIVERSAL/COURTESY OF EVERETT COLLECTION; COLLECTION; EVERETT OF UNIVERSAL/COURTESY SGRANITZ/WIREIMAGE; COLLECTION; EVERETT OF BROS./COURTESY WARNER BATZDORFF/NBC; RON OF COURTESY TOP: FROM CLOCKWISE M CROTTY/PATRICK DAVID IMAGES; ARCHIVE/GETTY PHOTO ADLER/CBS M. GALE

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