• Brandon Perea said he’s grateful for fans on TikTok thirsting over him after starring in “Nope.”
• Perea is “glad” people loved him in “Nope,” but he still finds it strange being in the public eye.
• BAFTA announced Thursday the actor is part of its Breakthrough program for 2022.

Jordan Peele’s “Nope” was always going to be one to watch after the director’s sharp debut, “Get Out,” back in 2018, and his latest offering certainly kept audiences on their toes with a UFO story like no other. 

Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer take center stage as siblings, OJ and Emerald, as they try to obtain evidence that an alien has been abducting people (and horses) in Agua Dulce, California. 

They’re helped by Angel Torres, played by Brandon Perea, a worker from Fry’s Electronics, who steals every single scene he shows up in. So, it’s no surprise that Perea has been accepted into BAFTA’s 2022 Breakthrough program, a talent scheme that provides support to emerging creative talent in the film and television industries in the US, UK and India.

Perea’s comedic timing and endearing screen presence has led to plenty of praise online, and he’s quickly become the center of a number of thirst trap videos on TikTok.

Perea exclusively told Insider: “Social media is crazy. I’m not falling into the traps of social media… But I’m very grateful to anyone that shows me love.”

The star also explained that he’s overjoyed fans like him as a person, as well as his performances.

Perea added: “I’m just glad that people are receiving me well through my performance, and that people are receiving me well through my own personality, which is far more nerve-wracking than acting. 

BAFTA/Jessica Chou

Although the actor previously had a main role in Netflix’s “The OA,” and a brief masked appearance in “Doom Patrol,” he’s still learning to deal with being in the public eye following the success of “Nope.”

“Acting is so much easier than, honestly, something like this,” he told Insider. “I’m happy to be here, but to be myself in the public eye it’s an odd thing. But I’m glad I’m getting a lot of learning lessons within it and definitely not letting anything absorb me.”

Perea also stressed that although he’d love to go hide on an island for a while, he’s incredibly grateful for the love and attention from audiences.

He added: “The more [attention] I receive the more I kind of wanna go to an island and hide out with my loved ones. But I am grateful though, I’m glad I don’t have many people that harass me or anything, it’s mostly all love. There’s a lot of crazy love! But it’s love.”

Brandon Perea is part of BAFTA’s Breakthrough 2022 program, which also includes the likes of Amrit Kaur, Ambika Mod, Leon Harrop, and more. See the complete list here.