Michaela Coel and Daniel Kaluuya each made mega moves in 2022. Individually starring in some of the year’s most-buzzed-about and top-grossing films – Kaluuya shined in Jordan Peele’s NOPE alongside Keke Palmer, and Coel joined an all-star cast in the highly-anticipated Black Panther sequel, Wakanda Forever.
ESSENCE caught up with Kaluyya and Coel at Moët & Chandon’s 2022 Holiday Celebration at New York’s Lincoln Center David Geffen Hall as they toasted to the approaching holidays, rubbing elbows with fellow stars like Trevor Noah, Taylor Russell, Chanel Iman, Victor Cruz, and Vic Mensa, among others.
For Kaluuya, the last page of the calendar means time for some (much-needed) rest and recharging after a whirlwind benchmark year in his career. Foregoing any big travel plans or grand vacations, Kaluuya tells ESSENCE that his holiday will be all about “Chilling with family, plotting the next year, relaxing, resting up.” However, he admits he’ll enjoy “little vibes” at Disneyland in his downtime before it’s time to hit the ground running once again.
“I’ve got a film that I produced and co-wrote called The Kitchen,” Kaluuya tells us of what’s in store for 2023. “That’s exciting. I’ve also got Across The Spider-Verse coming out. That’s exciting. And my life. My life’s exciting.”
“I’m here to live. So I’m here to enjoy. My enjoyment…that’s exciting,” he says, smiling.
Outside of the worldwide event that was the release of NOPE, the actor reveals that finally bringing one of his decades-long dreams to fruition was the highlight of 2022.
“I’ve been writing [The Kitchen] for nine years,” he reveals. “That was really important. It’s a state of the nation piece about dystopian London.”
Set in the year 2044, The Kitchen has been picked up by Netflix for a 2023 release. It stars Top Boy lead Kane “Kano” Robinson and newcomer Jedaiah Robinson as residents of an encampment for the poor set up just outside of London’s city limits, fighting for survival and searching for family and meaning in a seemingly hopeless society.
For Coel, a retreat to her family’s homeland is in order.
“I tend to go into a little cave,” Coel says of her increasingly frequent time in Ghana. Despite the bustle and non-stop activity going on in and around Accra during the holiday season, or “Detty December” as it’s become known in recent years, the actress prefers to focus on destressing and spending time with family. “My grandma lives there. My dad lives there. I’ll be spending time with my family, doing all the boring stuff. It’s just family time and just working. I’m going to be there for a long time.”
“I may turn up once or twice. Maybe Afrochella, perhaps,” she adds with a smirk.
It’s a necessary reset for the actress who is gearing up to become an aunt for the third time over, a still-mysterious starring role in Donald Glover’s TV reboot/reimagining of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and another hush-hush project she can’t quite get into yet.
“That was fun!” Coel says of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. “I love Donald so much. It’s going to be a nice, busy year.”
Though the highly coveted screenwriter and actress couldn’t get deep into detail about her other upcoming projects and soon-to-come announcements she hinted, she does give us one parting tidbit.
“I’m really looking forward to exercising some different muscles that I haven’t really worked before.”