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I'm just trying to be bold and make decisions that I’m going to be happy with Academy Award nominee Daniel Kaluuya sounds off on his newfound fame.

A year ago, Kaluuya was a relative unknown on the set of Marvel’s Black Panther, where he’d been cast by director Ryan Coogler as W’Kabi, the right-hand man to T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman).

Now, the 28-year-old British actor is a household name, thanks to Get Out’s box office and critical success.

“I know that this is the dream-case scenario,” Kaluuya says smiling. “I got nominated for an Oscar and a week later I was watching Black Panther. So, I know it’s like a dream, but I don’t think of it that way. Those opportunities just presented themselves.”

In the midst of a whirlwind press tour for Black Panther, Kaluuya reflected on his crazy year, seeing the world of Black Panther realized for the first time on the big screen and told us how he plans to spend the day at the Oscars.

JRP/WENN

Here you are joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Were you a comic book guy growing up?

I was and I wasn’t. I was, but whenever I’d pick up one of the books, my mom would say, ‘I’m not paying for that.’ So I couldn’t really get into them. But I did love X-Men and Spider-Man, and when I heard they were making a Black Panther film I said to myself, ‘I’m watching that.’ (laughs) That was years ago, and suddenly I was in it.

What was it like when you got the call to play W’Kabi?

I was doing a play and someone said, ‘Ryan Coogler wants to Skype you.’ First off, that in itself was mental. But I had a matinee performance and he wanted to Skype with me between my matinee and my evening show. There was no Internet in the building, so I had to cross the road and Skype him from a coffee shop. I bought some nuts, and I Skyped him. I tried to be all quiet because I didn’t want people to see. We spoke for like an hour. He had seen me in a short film called Baby by Daniel Mulloy. He said, ‘I want you to be part of this.’ And I jumped on board.