*For many entertainers, an Oscar, Grammy, Emmy, or Tony award means they are among the best of the best in their chosen entertainment-related field. Yet Daniel Kaluuya may have found a better way to be remembered, thanks to film fans overseas.
According to The Standard, the 35-year-old London-born “Black Panther” fixture will be honored with a statue in Leicester Square. The move comes after a poll of 5,000 British filmgoers chose Kaluuya as the actor people would most like to see recognized with a new statue in the central London-based location, winning one-fifth of the vote.
Kaluuya’s monument, which is slated to be unveiled in October, will celebrate his performance in the 2017 psychological horror movie “Get Out” via its depiction of the “Sunken Place” scene where the actor’s character falls into a fugue state. Helmed by Jordan Peele in his directorial debut, “Get Out” centered around Chris Washington (Kaluuya) young black man who exposes shocking secrets when he meets the family of his white girlfriend Rose Armitage (Allison Williams). For his part, Kaluuya earned a Best Actor nomination at the 2017 Academy Awards.
The “Nope” star’s statue puts him in specialized company on the “Scenes in the Square” trail, joining sculptures of Harry Potter, Batman, Wonder Woman, Mary Poppins, and Gene Kelly in the capital. More recent additions to the fold include the “Game of Thrones” Iron Throne, Indiana Jones, and Clifford the Big Red Dog.
Launched in 2020, the “Scenes in the Square” trail is described as “a joyous celebration of much-loved big and small screen icons from the Twenties to the present day.” Citing Variety, The Standard noted the artwork will represent modern cinematic success and homegrown talent.
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“We are excited to welcome Daniel Kaluuya and Jordan Peele’s ‘Get Out’ to our Scenes in the Square line-up as a celebration of a modern cinematic success and homegrown British talent,” Mark Williams, deputy chief executive for Heart of London Business Alliance, which runs Scenes in the Square with support from Westminster City Council, told the publication.
Describing the trail as “London’s Walk of fame,” Sally Regis, the director of 3D Eye director, one of the companies that helped deliver the project, noted the excitement through the area brought on by the “Scenes” trail.
“It has transformed the Square and has created a wonderful buzz with regular queues of people waiting to take selfies with the sculptures,” she said. “The most exciting thing is that Heart of London Business Alliance intends to keep adding more sculptures in partnership with film studios and other entertainment IP owners, creating an evolving sculpture park for visitors and locals.”
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