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Lil Rel Howery Talks ‘Haunted Heist,’ Comedy And Building His Own Lane

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 21: Lil Rel Howery attends the 53rd Annie Awards at Royce Hall on February 21, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)

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Lil Rel Howery has been in the game for nearly two decades, and he’s spent that time making a strong case that being funny is just the beginning. His early comedy credits date back to 2007, but Howery has never been content to stay in one lane, moving from stand-up into television, film, writing and producing along the way. For plenty of moviegoers, his breakout as TSA agent Rod Williams in Get Out made him impossible to forget—a role that turned him into the friend everybody wanted in their group chat during a horror movie.

Now, with Haunted Heist, his feature directorial debut, Howery is stepping behind the camera while also starring in and executive producing the horror comedy. For him, directing doesn’t feel like a career pivot so much as the natural next move. After nearly two decades in Hollywood, he’s learned that longevity means knowing how to do more than one thing. Directing isn’t a new direction so much as another part of the toolkit he’s been building all along.

Lil Rel Howery Found His First Love In Horror

Howery’s love for filmmaking started long before he was making movies. He grew up watching horror, with Michael Myers among his favorite icons, along with the early A Nightmare on Elm Street films and Halloween. But the original It really got him.

When the television adaptation aired, Howery remembers it becoming a full-on cultural moment, with kids showing up to school the next day comparing notes about who was scared, who was terrified and who was definitely not sleeping with their feet hanging off the bed. At the time, clowns were supposed to mean happiness. Birthday parties. Balloons. Somebody handing you a cupcake. Then Pennywise showed up and ruined the whole concept. “It was an event,” Howery recalls.

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That love of cinema is also why Howery takes the moviegoing experience seriously — concessions included. Unlike the people who arrive with a purse full of snacks like they’re preparing for a six-hour flight, Howery says he buys his food at the theater. He gets there early and times his concession run with the trailers because, unlike a lot of us, he actually enjoys watching them. “I earn my pay,” he jokes.

It’s a small detail, but it says a lot about how genuinely Howery loves movies. He isn’t just somebody who makes them; he still approaches the theater like an audience member. He respects the ritual. He wants his snacks. He wants to see the trailers. He wants the whole experience — no shortcuts, no sneaking in contraband, just vibes and a properly timed concession run.

Howery Turns Collaboration Into His Directing Philosophy

That same enthusiasm carried onto the set of Haunted Heist, where Howery took a hands-on approach to directing. He wasn’t just directing and producing; he was also rewriting the script and starring in the movie.

He says he would take the script home every night, making adjustments based on what the actors were bringing to the production. The goal wasn’t simply to get through the pages. He wanted everyone on set to feel “seen and heard,” particularly on a lower-budget production where every person has to be fully invested in making the movie work. “These are your collaborators,” he says.

That collaborative mindset carried into casting, too. Some of Howery’s longtime friends, including Tiffany Haddish, came into the film through offers, but he still wanted auditions for several other roles. Among them were Detroit comedians Tara Terry, Joe Blunt and Martini Harris.

Terry, who plays the grandmother, already opens for Howery on the road, making her casting another example of his interest in bringing people from his comedy circle into the filmmaking family. Howery says he personally watches auditions, even when an actor has only one line. “I’m a very proactive person,” he says.

Why Howery Let Detroit Become Part Of The Cast

Detroit wasn’t just where Haunted Heist happened to shoot. Several of the producers live in the city, but Howery says the locations ultimately helped seal the deal. The production filmed at Berry Gordy’s first mansion and the Detroit Masonic Temple, while also drawing on local crews and talent.

For a movie about a group of people making some very questionable decisions, the city brought plenty of personality to the frame. “Detroit just has so much personality for what we’re trying to do,” Howery says.

That was part of the appeal. Howery wanted the city to feel like more than a backdrop — its architecture, people and energy all helping shape the identity of the movie.

How Howery Learned From the Greats, Then Got Personal

As a first-time director, Howery also leaned on filmmakers he admires. He calls himself a film and television nerd — a fair assessment for somebody who can rattle off Rob Reiner, John Singleton, Jordan Peele and Ryan Coogler as influences without missing a beat. Ava DuVernay and Shawn Levy also offered guidance as he prepared for the project.

But studying other directors, Howery says, isn’t about trying to become the next version of somebody else. You can take the notes, study the greats and borrow a little inspiration. Eventually, though, you have to determine what’s yours. “You have to figure out what your own style is and bring what you think you can do better.”

One of those instincts was making room for emotional vulnerability between Black men. A scene between Howery and Karlous Miller’s characters centers on two friends confronting their relationship, apologizing and reconnecting. Howery wanted the moment to feel genuine, including the way the two friends embrace. Rather than the quick dap or shoulder pat that often stands in for affection between Black men on screen, he wanted them to actually be vulnerable with each other.

It’s a small moment, but an intentional one. Howery wanted to show Black men being open with one another without the moment immediately becoming a joke or somebody feeling the need to pull back. The friendship gets to be tender. The emotion gets to sit there. And nobody has to apologize for it.

Friendship Keeps Howery Grounded Beyond The Spotlight

That theme of friendship hits close to home for Howery, too. He and Tiffany Haddish have been friends for roughly 20 years, and with their birthdays only a couple of weeks apart, they’ve had plenty of reasons to celebrate.

Over the years, that has included trips to Hawaii with friends. But Howery remembers those getaways less for the celebrity factor than for the chance to simply hang out—hit the gym, spend the holidays together and, for a few days at least, just be regular people.

That’s the kind of community Howery seems to value most: the people you can laugh with, grow with and still call when the cameras are off. He’s built his career alongside comedians he came up with, stayed close to the people who helped him along the way and now looks for ways to bring more people into the circle.

From Breaking Through To Opening Doors With Howery

That commitment to community extends beyond Haunted Heist and into Howery’s work in comedy. He is entering the third year of the What’s Funny? Comedy Festival, which he created to give Black and Brown comedians a bigger platform.

After experiencing festival circuits where comedians of color could sometimes feel relegated to separate or secondary showcases, Howery wanted to build something different: a space where comedians could show up as themselves without having to water down their style or explain why their comedy works.

The festival is also Howery’s way of giving back to stand-up, the art form he credits with changing his life. He says he and his partner, Knowledge Beckom, have funded the festival out of pocket, and this year’s programming will include a master class and an honor for Bill Bellamy. “I want to make sure we give flowers to people who paved the way,” he says.

For Howery, giving back means honoring the people who came before him while making room for those coming next. He knows what it means to benefit from someone else opening a door. Now, he’s focused on making sure there are more doors to walk through.

How Independent Filmmakers Are Taking Back Control

That belief in creating new opportunities also shapes how Howery thinks about independent film.

Haunted Heist reached roughly 390 theaters through direct relationships with exhibitors, with Howery describing a 50/50 split with theater owners as an important part of the deal. He sees the arrangement as proof that filmmakers can build stronger relationships with theaters without always having to go through a major studio. He credits distributor Variance Films for being willing to invest in the filmmakers and their vision.

Howery believes there is an appetite for independent movies, particularly when filmmakers are willing to take risks. “I just think you get hungrier filmmakers when it’s not balloon budgets,” he says.

That hunger is part of what makes Haunted Heist meaningful to him. The movie’s success isn’t simply about getting one film into theaters; it’s about proving there are other ways to get movies in front of audiences—and that filmmakers can build those paths without waiting for a major studio to open the door.

A Movie Fan’s Next Chapter Behind The Camera

That willingness to build outside the traditional system is consistent with Howery’s larger career philosophy. He still loves performing and acting, but says he has become more selective about his on-camera work. These days, writing, producing and directing feel less like separate jobs and more like different parts of the same creative process.

Jonathan Simon, a writer and director at 369 Curated, sees being a multi-hyphenate as a way to take control of the stories being told. “I think we have the ability to bring a perspective and nuance to stories that get overlooked regularly,” he says. He believes specificity is a strength, particularly in representation: “For so long, Black characters have been seen through someone else’s lens, so there is power in being able to control how we are represented.” As a creative working across multiple disciplines, Simon adds, “Each facet has made me better at the others. These days, you wear multiple hats because you have to.”

Directing, in particular, is the part he’s most excited to keep exploring. But he’s also very much a movie fan—even when his own name is in the credits.

Howery saw Haunted Heist in theaters and says he’s watched it several times at home since its release, just as he has with other films he’s made. It’s a fitting detail for someone who spent years loving movies before he ever started making them. After all the work that goes into getting a film from script to screen, Howery still wants to do what he’s always done: sit down, get his snacks and watch the movie.

More Than One Title, One Vision For Howery

Howery’s career has always been about being multidimensional. But with Haunted Heist, he’s taking that idea a step further. He isn’t simply looking for another lane in Hollywood; he’s making more room for himself, his collaborators and the people coming behind him.

He’s directing. He’s producing. He’s mentoring. He’s creating opportunities. But underneath it all, the mission hasn’t changed: make people laugh, tell good stories and keep finding new ways to do both.

Maybe that’s the real evolution. He isn’t reinventing himself so much as expanding what Lil Rel Howery can be. The comedian is still there. The actor is still there. Now there’s a director in the mix, too. And if his career has taught him anything, it’s that there’s no reason to stop at one title when you can build a career that holds them all.