Who is Ian Wright in Daniel Kaluuya's The Kitchen?

Introduction

Daniel Kaluuya's The Kitchen is a movie full of eclectic characters - but who is Ian Wright, and how does he feature in the film?

Alongside co-director Kibwe Tavares, actor Daniel Kaluuya takes to the director's chair for the first time to give fans The Kitchen, a dystopian sci-fi film set in London.

The movie's official synopsis reads: 'In a dystopian future London where all social housing has been eliminated, Izi (Kane Robinson) and Benji (Jedaiah Bannerman) fight to navigate the world as residents of The Kitchen - a community that refuses to abandon their home.'

Who is Ian Wright?

Before his starring role in The Kitchen, Ian Wright was best known for being an English television and radio personality and former professional footballer.

Wright spent six years playing for London football team Crystal Palace, before moving to Arsenal for a further seven years.

He's now more frequently seen appearing as a pundit on Match of the Day, alongside various sports radio talk shows. Wright also can be seen on many popular panel shows and daytime talk shows in the UK.

As a born and bred Londoner, it does make some degree of sense that Ian Wright appears in The Kitchen. However, this is only Wright's second-ever acting role, having also starred as a fictional football pundit on Apple TV+'s Ted Lasso.

Wright stars as the mysterious 'leader' of The Kitchen Lord Kitchener, pioneering the community's radio station - though his actual identity isn't revealed until later on in the movie.

Wright first posted a preview of himself in the movie on December 18, 2023, which you can see below:

The Kitchen | 19 Jan | @netflix Directed by: Daniel Kaluuya & Kibwe Tavares pic.twitter.com/urvKkH3RUA

After The Kitchen's world premiere at London Film Festival in October 2023, Wright also posted on Instagram: '18 months ago, Daniel [Kaluuya] and Kibwe [Tavares] called and asked me to film myself and send some lines for the role of Lord Kitchener! Proud to not only be a small part of their work but to see them reach these levels.'

Review and Conclusion

In our review of the film, we stated: 'In a world where nobody should be bargaining for hot water but frequently are, The Kitchen offers a wake-up call to those who have forgotten what our overly-romanticized cities can really be like. At the same time, there's hope - our outlook on death takes an eco-friendly turn, and community lies at the heart of everything that unfolds.

'Nowhere is this better understood than the surprise casting of football legend Ian Wright, who plays the local leader Lord Kitchener with aplomb.'