THE STORY SO FAR

From cult TV show Skins to Oscar-winner, Daniel Kaluuya's career trajectory is the stuff of dreams. Now, the self-confessed storyteller has returned to his roots to direct his very first feature film, The Kitchen, a tale of Black British life in a dystopian London

-  Corrina Antrobus

I’m in a north London barber shop that has defied gentrification and remained in business for almost 30 years. Although this fact reveals his age, the shop’s owner, Nev, is only a little irked that he didn’t get a heads-up before his super famous client glided into his premises for our interview. As he punctually floats in off the street like any other guy, Daniel Kaluuya apologises: “You know how it is, Nev,” he says, in a covert reference to his A-list status. It’s the first insight I get into how Kaluuya navigates fame. Sitting in his long-time barber’s shop, he comes across like one of the lads. As a string of Nev’s regulars walk in, they each receive a brotherly nod of respect. No entourage, security or conspicuous Jeep have accompanied Kaluuya here, but his appearance provides clues to his celebrity — from how he holds himself, to the delicately embroidered name tag on his varsity jacket and the designer sunglasses worn backwards across what must be a fresh fade.

The barber shop represents more than the place where Kaluuya gets his hair cut. It’s where the seed was first planted for his latest venture and directorial debut, The Kitchen, out soon on Netflix after its premiere at the London Film Festival for the event’s closing night gala screening.