Jordan Peele explains the significance of the shoe in Nope

Steven Yeun in Nope
(Image credit: Monkeypaw Productions/Universal)

Jordan Peele has explained the importance of the shoe in Nope. Before we go any further, be warned that the following contains major spoilers for the movie! 

In the film, it's eventually revealed t𒊎hat Steven Yeun's Jupe is a survivor of a horrific chimp attack on the set of a sit-com he starred in as a child. While Gordy the chimp maimed Jupe's co-star Mary Jo and killed another, Jupe survived by hiding under a table – and while the rampage was ongoing, he focused on a shoe that was standing directly upright, with a single fleck of blood. Jupe then displays the shoe, still standing straight up, in a small museum dedicated to the sit-com. 

podcast. "And Jupe, he zones in on this little shoe, that's Mary Jo's shoe, that has landed in a precarious, odd situation. And this is the moment he disassociates. So the shoe for me is, in essence, in one way, it's the impossible shot. That's the impossible moment." 

The impossible shot is a recurring theme in the film – Keke Palmer's Emerald and Daniel Kaluuya's O.J. are trying to capture a picture of the alien, dubbed Jean Jacket, that's worthy of appearing on Oprah, while cinematographer Antlers (Michael Wincott) ends up sacrificing his life in an attempt to capture the perfꦏect image of the creature. 

It's also implied that Jupe surviving the chimp attack leaves him b𒐪elieving he's "chosen," which b🐬ackfires massively when he himself falls victim to Jean Jacket. 

If you're up to speed on Nope, you can check out our guide to all the upcoming major 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:movie release dates to start planning 2023's theater trips. 

Molly Edwards
Deputy Entertainment Editor

I'm the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immedꦫiate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.