Intro to Film 2025 • Professor Gregory Zinman • Emory University

“Nope”: a homage to those exploited in Hollywood

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Lindsay Taylor

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Jordan Peele’s Nope was an intriguing multi-genre film that was not only entertaining but also full of historical and social commentary. When viewing Nope’s genres through a “reflectionist approach”, it becomes clear that they function together to tell a story about he history of Hollywood. Near the beginning of the movie, we see OJ and Emerald on a film set, surrounded by all white workers. While OJ tries to tell them about the safety precautions for the horse, they brush him off, ignoring his voice. Simultaneously, they ignore the needs of Lucky, not treating him like a real breathing animal but rather a prop. Emerald also tries to promote her directing and acting to he white audience but is not taken seriously. All of this highlights the exploitation of animals and marginalized groups throughout the history of Hollywood. 

This is where the Western genre present in the film is so crucial to its message. Unlike the white-dominated industry, OJ has the ability to understand that the horses are worthy of respect as much as humans are because he understands them due to his job. He does not attempt to exploit them for the purpose of entertainment or a “spectacle” like Jupe. 

However, while Jupe’s character functions as both an example of those who exploit and those who were exploited. This is where the horror genre comes into play. As a child actor, Jupe faced a traumatic experience on set which was then brushed under the rug- it was even flipped into a comical incident and put on SNL. It is clear throughout the film that this experience still affects him. However, possibly as a way to cope with it, he exploits the incident for money, charging tourists to enter the small museum he has built dedicated to it.

Finally, the idea of exploitation ties into the sci-fi genre of the film. At one point, OJ thinks back to how Lucky became aggravated when looked at and realized that also applied to the alien. Just as the horse had to be treated with respect on the film set, the alien could not be “domesticated” as Jupe tried to accomplish because he treated it as a prop without attempting to understand it. The idea that a catastrophe could be prevented if only you don’t look is analogous to how exploitation could be prevented if only people were not so eager to see a “spectacle”. 

What are other examples of exploitation in the film? How does Peele combine genres to make other commentary about society? What is the significance of Jean Jacket?

Comments

2 responses to ““Nope”: a homage to those exploited in Hollywood”

  1. Kaitlin Keil Avatar
    Kaitlin Keil

    I really like how you connected the theme of exploitation to each different genre that runs throughout the movie. I found the moment on the film set where OJ and Emerald’s voices, and the horse and it’s needs, are dismissed and even simply laughed at particularly disturbing and difficult to watch. That early scene immediately sets up Peele’s commentary on who gets ignored or used in Hollywood. I think that the significance of Jean Jacket is in the idea that it can’t be looked at directly on another. In a sense it represents the consuming gaze of audiences and the entertainment industry itself. The more people stare, the more destructive it becomes.

    You mention Jupe’s exploitation of his trauma through the museum, which I also found very interesting. In fact, a key point of the movie seemed to be nearly all of the characters exploiting their trauma for spectacle. The Haywood family, although terrified of the alien, is obsessed with capturing it on camera for fame and profit. So while OJ doesn’t do this with the horse, he does this with the alien. In a sense, their desire to reclaim their family’s legacy in Hollywood through this UFO parallels Jupe’s attempt to turn his childhood horror into a business. As you mentioned, Jupe also tries to exploit the alien, attempting to tame it showcase to an audience for profit. Both parties are obsessed with turning a truly dangerous creature, swallowing people by the minute, into their way to fame.

    The combination of the Western, sci-fi, and horror genres explore the themes of trauma, mastering your environment, and exploration of the unknown. The movie questions how far people are willing to go for attention or validation. In Nope, all the characters have a desire to be seen and recognized, but Peele reminds us how dangerous looking can be.

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  2. Alina Avatar
    Alina

    Hello,
    I agree that exploitation can be seen in many aspects of the film. An example of exploitation can be seen in the cameramen who tried to document the alien. He kept asking if OJ got the scene on camera instead of caring about the present danger. This scene shows how far people will go for fame and spectacle.

    For a “perfect shot” people are willing to use the suffering of others for spectacle and personal gain. Instead of helping or showing empathy to others, they risk their lives for entertainment. This exploitation shows how people repeatedly turn danger and trauma into profit.

    Another example of exploitation is how Emerald and OJ’s ancestors, and Black contributions to cinema, have been erased from Hollywood’s history. This can be seen when Emerald explains that the first moving image ever captured was of a Black person riding a horse, yet no one remembers his name. This shows how the entertainment industry has profited from marginalized people while denying them recognition, such as in the film Illusions.

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