Oprah's Super Soul: Jordan Peele – Can Film Change Our Culture?

Podcast: Oprah’s Super Soul
Host: Oprah (with Gayle King as interviewer)
Guest: Jordan Peele
Release Date: November 12, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode features a riveting conversation between Gayle King and filmmaker Jordan Peele, as selected by Oprah for her Super Soul series. Together, they delve deeply into the cultural phenomenon of Peele’s breakout film, Get Out, exploring the transformational power of cinema, representation of Black experiences in film, and the challenges and triumphs on Peele’s journey as a pioneering Black director. The discussion is candid, insightful, and rich with humor, vulnerability, and cultural commentary.

Key Themes and Discussion Points

The Genesis of Get Out

• Years in the Making: Peele describes the long process of developing Get Out. It began as a personal creative hobby—crafting “my favorite movie that I’d never seen before.”

  “I was the first audience for this film, and it really was about getting to go home… and watching my favorite movie in my mind.” (Jordan Peele, 03:05)

• Inspired by Gaps in Representation: Gayle draws a parallel to Toni Morrison, who wrote books she wanted to read, underscoring the need for Black perspectives in storytelling.
• Love/Hate Relationship with Horror: Jordan talks about his affinity for horror as a vehicle for working through societal and personal fears.

Fear and the Horror Genre

• Processing Collective Fears: Peele argues that horror allows audiences to confront suppressed fears in a communal and “safe” way.

  “Horror movies… are kind of the safest place to experience our fears. And I feel like we kind of make personal progress by not turning our backs on our own fear.” (Jordan Peele, 04:13)

• Audience Impact: Peele and Gayle discuss how reactions from Black audiences, in particular, added layers to the film’s meaning and impact.

Cultural Reception and Oscar Recognition

• Surprise and Validation:
  • Peele expresses both surprise and joy at the film’s enormous success, box office performance, and multiple Oscar nominations—including Best Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture.
  • He describes the emotional moment learning of Daniel Kaluuya’s nomination:

    “When I found out that Daniel Kaluuya… got nominated, that’s when I was, you know, tears started streaming down my face.” (Jordan Peele, 08:54)

• Legacy and Representation: Peele recounts how Whoopi Goldberg’s Oscar win inspired him as a child, and how he hopes his own success can inspire others:

  “I immediately thought of… Whoopi at that moment. And… wow, this is now about all the people out there who this is sending that same message to.” (Jordan Peele, 10:59)

• Authenticity: Success, Peele says, is deeply connected to authenticity in art:

  “I think you don’t get to be truly successful and experience it on the level of joyousness unless it’s coming from an authentic place.” (Gayle King, 11:22)

Identity, Outsidership, and Representation

• Growing Up Mixed-Race: Peele shares his experiences navigating racial identity as a mixed-race child, feeling like an outsider, and how cinema became a window into African American experiences for him.
• Vulnerability on Screen:
  • Peele connects iconic film images of Black male vulnerability, from Glory to Get Out, highlighting the rarity and importance of such portrayals.

  “There’s a… lack of images in pop culture where Black men are allowed to be vulnerable, where we’re allowed to be afraid… To me, it’s also connected to the fact that our fears… aren’t being heard. They’re being silenced.” (Jordan Peele, 16:58)

• Audience Empathy: Get Out creates empathy by making Black characters the focal point and placing all audiences in their shoes.

  “This was a way for … a lot of white people to experience the world through the Black perspective. And you white people watching the movie don’t identify with the white people in the movie. You identify with Chris, which means you’ve already done something really important and valuable.” (Jordan Peele, 21:35)

Navigating Hollywood and Risk

• Barriers and Fears: Peele reflects on the industry’s skepticism about a film foregrounding Black experience and exposing racial microaggressions, and his own fear that the film might be suppressed.

  “Every step of the way, I held this idea that there’s a good chance someone’s going to step in and say, nope, you can’t do that.” (Jordan Peele, 22:37)

• Alternate Endings: He reveals that he filmed a much darker original ending for Get Out, but changed it in response to shifts in the cultural climate:

  “By the time the movie was ready to go… it really felt like people needed a hero and needed for me to help fulfill the escapism of the movie as well.” (Jordan Peele, 27:22)

The Power and Limits of Film as Cultural Change Agent

• Film as Empathy Machine:

  “Any film is a journey through someone else’s eyes and feeling the emotion of that character. So yeah, I think there’s a reason story is the most powerful weapon for change... a weapon against the violence, against the bigotry, against hatred, against the… policies.” (Jordan Peele, 32:53)

• Legacy and Artist’s Pressure: Gayle asks if Peele feels pressure after such a successful debut—he insists staying true to his vision is paramount.

  “I will continue to make the movies that I want to see… If I want to see it, I have to have trust that other people will. And if they don’t, I have to accept that that’s what it is.” (Jordan Peele, 29:01)

• Receiving Success: Peele reflects on the strangeness and sometimes discomfort of fame, grounding himself by not “drinking his own Kool Aid.”

  “Don’t get too… Don’t watch your own jump shot here. Don’t drink your own Kool Aid.” (Jordan Peele, 34:25)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On the Black Audience Experience:
  “They're like, 'kill the bitch right now.' Kill the bitch.” (Gayle King, 05:58)
  “My favorite line overheard… is the dude just went, 'Oh, this bitch out here drinking milk.'” (Jordan Peele, 06:11)

• On Creating Empathy:
  “You white people watching the movie don’t identify with the white people in the movie. You identify with Chris, which means you’ve already done something really important and valuable.” (Jordan Peele, 21:35)

• On Artistic Authenticity:
  “You don’t get to be truly successful and experience it on the level of joyousness unless it’s coming from an authentic place.” (Gayle King, 11:22)

• On Taking in Success
  “Part of it feels unnatural. Part of it makes you grapple with this idea of like, okay, I don’t... Don’t get too... Don’t watch your own jump shot here. Don’t drink your own Kool Aid.” (Jordan Peele, 34:25)

Timestamps of Major Segments

• 00:57 – Introduction and welcome
• 02:02 – Jordan describes conceiving Get Out
• 03:26 – Peele’s love for horror as a way to process fear
• 05:17 – On the film’s unexpected cultural impact
• 06:11 – Audience reactions and the “milk and Fruit Loops” symbolism
• 07:10 – Oscar nomination announcement and emotional response
• 10:46 – Whoopi Goldberg’s influence on a young Peele
• 14:27 – Peele on growing up mixed-race and feeling like an outsider
• 16:37 – The importance of vulnerability in Black male representation
• 20:28 – Bringing Black cultural experiences—and microaggressions—to the screen
• 21:35 – How Get Out fosters cross-racial empathy
• 22:37 – Peele’s fears of Hollywood pushback
• 25:49 – The original, darker ending of Get Out
• 28:53 – Discussing creative pressure after a staggering debut
• 31:21 – Peele’s early directing dreams and barriers faced
• 32:31 – Can film change culture?
• 34:12 – The challenge of receiving enormous recognition and success
• 35:12 – Conclusion and gratitude

Conclusion

This episode is a masterful exploration of the intersection of art, identity, and social change. Jordan Peele’s transparency about his creative process, personal history, and the social currents that influenced Get Out make this conversation a rich resource for anyone interested in how film can both reflect and reshape culture. Listeners, regardless of background, will come away with a deeper appreciation for the importance of representation and the courage it takes to tell the stories that need to be told.