Daniel Kaluuya’s Involvement With ‘Cult-Like’ Life Strategist Caused Concern On ‘Nope’ Set, Says Source
He fired his management.
Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock / Instagram Daniel Kaluuya's involvement with spiritual advisor called a "life strategist" Heir Holiness is continuing to cause confusion among fans of the actor as he promotes his new movie "Nope."
News first emerged in March 2022 after insiders expressed worry over Kaluuya's decision to part ways with his agents and management, all under the influence of a woman who called herself Heir Holiness.
Daniel Kaluuya's work with Heir Holiness has reportedly caused concerns among his co-workers.
Heir Holiness, whose real name is Vanylla Salimah Mahmoud, 50, described herself as Kaluuya's personal manager on a now-deleted LinkedIn page, according to Page Six.
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“To be honest, we can’t quite figure out who she is…we really have no clue as his team has shifted camps,” a source told the publication, while an insider close to Kaluuya claims the actor first met Heir Holiness, formerly refered to as Heir Princess on the set of "Black Panther" in 2018.
“Apparently, he was introduced to Heir Holiness through a makeup artist, who is some sort of crystals guru,” said the insider.
Reportedly, Heir Holiness had worked with Kaluuya while he filmed "Nope," his second horror film with director Jordan Peele.
Staff on set of 'Nope' were reportedly suspicious of Heir Holiness's intentions.
“Holiness’ behavior during the filming of Jordan Peele’s ‘Nope,’ in which Kaluuya stars, caused people on set to be concerned about her influence over the British actor," Matt Belloni of Puck News reported in February 2022.
“People on the ‘Nope’ set were very concerned that Heir had ‘taken over’ DK’s life and all decisions had to go through her,” said an industry insider. “I’ve heard there were multiple blow-ups and the production people were afraid of her.”
Daniel Kaluuya parted ways with his management after meeting Heir Holiness.
After signing with the talent agency CAA in 2018 after filming "Get Out," Kaluuya fired his talent agents, which represent other A-list celebrities such as Tom Hanks, Reese Witherspoon, and Steven Spielberg.
“I can confirm that Daniel Kaluuya is not a client of the agency," a CAA spokesperson told The Post, via Page Six.
The "Nope" actor also reportedly terminated his publicist at Shelter PR after a four-year relationship, however, he still maintains his longtime manager at Management360 and his representatives in London.
Another source who knows claims to know Kaluuya told The Post, via Page Six, that the actor had also fired his stylist and multiple assistants per the advice of Heir Holiness.
“There are many actors and artists in Hollywood who work with spiritual advisors and use them for guidance and support,” a movie insider shared. “But … him leaving his agency and his publicists, that’s the unusual thing. It’s kind of weird.”
Fans reacted to the news in a Reddit post, with one user writing: "I feel so sorry for him. Easily influenced. She’s a con. Gonna take all his money and control him."
Another user added: "Oh no. I hope someone convinces him of how dangerous this actually is. This could really damage his career."
Fans think Heir Holiness and Daniel Kaluuya have parted ways.
Recently, fans have theorized that Kaluuya and Heir Holiness might have stopped working together after she removed "personal manager" from her now-deleted Instagram page and unfollowed the actor.
Shortly after news reports broke about Kaluuya's relationship with Heir Holiness, who many people argue gives off "major cult-like vibes," she responded on her now-deleted Instagram page, according to Vulture, calling the stories "fake."
Heir Holiness claimed Kaluuya “had some problems in his business with some people, and he fired them,” later asking, “What does that have to do with me? I don’t know why they got fired exactly."
She continued, alleging that “I never met any of these people. None of the people that got fired have I ever seen in person and I do not know them. I don’t know why they got fired exactly.”
Earlier this month, Kaluuya also responded to being under Heir Holiness' influence, telling the Hollywood Reporter, “It showed me that I was in a paradigm of fame. An unnamed, unverified source has more credibility than what is actually said and the truth of the situation."
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Keep up with her on Instagram and Twitter.