History Characters / Nope

* KillerGorilla: Gordy was a show animal that took part in a show called ''Gordy's Home'', which was about an astronaut mom adopting a chimp from NASA and taking it home to live with her and her family. However, during a special episode of the series, Gordy blacked out and entered fight or flight mode after being stared at by the audience and becoming panicked after hearing some balloons pop at the same time. During a rampage that lasted only six minutes and thirteen seconds, Gordy killed Tom Bogan, mutilated Mary Jo Elliot's face, and [[https://www.instagram.com/p/CkJSJpYL5KQ/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== mutilated Phyllis Mayberry's right hand as she escaped the studio]]. Ricky "Jupe" Park managed to survive because he hid under a table as he rampaged, and Gordy only noticed him once he had calmed down.

* LikeParentLikeChild: Em claims that he and OJ shared a similar hard-headedness and had difficulty with accepting change.

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: Seriously downplayed, it's never confirmed if it's actually an extraterrestrial or just an undiscovered and ''really weird'' species native to Earth. Some supplementary materials seem to lean more toward the latter, but even this largely comes down to the theories of in-universe scientists.

* HiddenInPlainSight: When not hunting, it hides itself in a cloud which never moves. Angel only notices when he fast-forwards through the recorded security footage, and OJ quickly realizes it must have been there for at least six months and he never noticed it.

* BilingualBonus: Averted. While many people have theorized that Gordy was signing "What happened to family?" when approaching Jupe under the table, Gordy does not make any actual recognizable signs; rather, the chimp appears to be making nervous gestures. TruthInTelevision, as primates are proven to not be able to use any signed language to communicate in the same way humans do.

* CollectiveIdentity: According to Jupe, there were multiple chimpanzees that played Gordy in the show. Since nobody bothered to learn their real names, everyone just collectively calls the chimpanzees "Gordy", both on-camera and off-camera.

* NoNameGiven: PlayedForDrama. “Gordy” is actually the name of the titular character of the ShowWithinAShow. According to Jupe, the chimp that went on a rampage was just one of the many chimpanzees that played the character. The chimp’s real name is never revealed to the viewer (with even the movie’s credits listing Terry Notary as the actor behind “Gordy”) and the chimp is just called “Gordy” by everyone on and off-camera, signifying how the chimp was seen as a living prop or an unpaid actor rather than a dangerous wild animal that poses a threat to people’s safety if their boundaries are not respected.

* RippedFromTheHeadlines: Gordy's rampage seems to be heavily inspired by [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travis_(chimpanzee) Travis]], who was similarly a trained, so-called "tamed" chimp who went into a rage one day with devastating consequences. Mary Jo Elliott has similar injuries (a mutilated hand and face) from Gordy's attack to the woman who was mauled by Travis.

* NoNameGiven: “Gordy” is actually the name of the titular character of the ShowWithinAShow. According to Jupe, the chimp that went on a rampage was just one of the many chimpanzees that played the character. The chimp’s real name is never revealed to the viewer (with even the movie’s credits listing Terry Notary as the actor behind “Gordy”) and the chimp is just called “Gordy” by everyone on and off-camera, signifying how the chimp was seen as a living prop or an unpaid actor rather than a dangerous wild animal that poses a threat to people’s safety if their boundaries are not respected.

* OneForTheMoneyOneForTheArt: InUniverse. When Em admits they can't pay him right away, Holst admits that he's only interested in money so he can work on what he truly enjoys.

* ALessonLearnedTooWell: After surviving Gordy's rampage on the set of ''Gordy's Home'', Jupe misinterpreted the lesson and thought he was spared because he had a closer relationship with Gordy than the others, resulting in him trying to tame Jean Jacket, an extraterrestrial creature that he thought was a ship full on sentient aliens, which lead to his own death when he realized that he fatally overestimated himself.

* PleaseWakeUp: A variation. When Gordy finally comes down from his rage, confused, he nudges Mary Jo's foot with his hand, though she's not dead and is likely in shock, has passed out from the pain or is just too terrified to move; previously during his rampage, when she showed signs of life, he rained blows down on her and bit her lips off. After finding Jupe under the table, he looks around the room and gestures in agitation with his arms before attempting to fist bump with Jupe, implying he may not be aware of what happened.

* NoNameGiven: “Gordy” is actually the name of the titular character of the ShowWithinAShow. According to Jupe, the chimp that went on a rampage was just one of the many champs that played the character. The chimp’s real name is never revealed to the viewer (with even the movie’s credits listing Terry Notary as the actor behind “Gordy”) and the chimp is just called “Gordy” by everyone on and off camera, signifying how the chimp was seen as a living prop or an unpaid actor rather than a dangerous wild animal that people’s safety if their boundaries are not respected.

* BilingualBonus: Averted. While many people have theorized that Gordy was signing "What happened to family?" when approaching Jupe under the table, Gordy does not make any actual recognizable signs; rather, the chimp appears to be making nervous gestures. TruthinTelevision, as primates are proven to not be able to use any signed language to communicate in the same way humans do.

* FarmerAndTheViper: The producers of ''Gordy's Home'' made the fatal error of believing they could tame a chimpanzee and simply deny its basic instincts rather than accommodate them and not anthropomorphize the animal. Although Gordy was trained by animal handlers to be docile around humans, once Gordy became stressed, he killed 2 of his co-stars and violently disfigured another in a fit of fear and rage.

* BilingualBonus: Subverted. While many people have theorized that Gordy was signing "What happened to family?" when approaching Jupe under the table, Gordy does not make any actual recognizable signs; rather, the chimp appears to be making nervous gestures. TruthinTelevision, as primates are proven to not be able to use any signed language to communicate in the same way humans do.

* GutturalGrowler: Much like his actor, he always speaks in a very deep growling sort of voice, even when trying to reassure someone.

* HeroOfAnotherStory: A GutturalGrowler DeadpanSnarker JadedWashout cinematographer who ominously makes pop culture references would be right at home in a B-movie or an indie art-horror film with much different tropes and rules.

* BilingualBonus: When Gordy calms down, he's not flailing his arms aimlessly after finding Jupe under the table. Gordy's actually using American Sign Language and his gestures translate to "What happened to family?", confirming that Gordy was actually overwhelmed with feelings of stress and/or fear during the party scene and his massacre was just a fight or flight response.

* FarmerAndTheViper: The producers of ''Gordy's Home'' made the fatal error of believing they could tame a chimpanzee and simply deny its basic instincts rather than accommodate them and not anthropomorphize the animal. Although Gordy was trained in sign language and was trained by animal handlers to be docile around humans, once Gordy became stressed, he killed 2 of his co-stars and violently disfigured another in a fit of fear and rage.
* IntelligentPrimate: Downplayed, Gordy was actually trained to use American Sign Language and uses it to say "What happened to family?" when he calmed down after his rampage.

* ObliviouslyEvil: After finding Jupe under the table, he uses American Sign Language to say "What happened to family?" which indicates that Gordy wasn't aware of the harm he was doing and was just in a state of extreme stress and fear.
* PleaseWakeUp: A variation. When Gordy finally comes down from his rage, confused, he nudges Mary Jo's foot with his hand, though she's not dead and is likely in shock, has passed out from the pain or is just too terrified to move; previously during his rampage, when she showed signs of life, he rained blows down on her and bit her lips off. After finding Jupe under the table, he asks in sign language, "What happened to family?", confirming that Gordy didn't know that he had killed his "family" in a fit of rage and panic.

* TheProtagonist: Most of the story follows OJ, from his struggles in handling the ranch after the death of his father, to performing the dangerous work in his and Emerald's attempts to capture footage of the alien.

* EldritchAbomination: Jean Jacket is a gigantic alien creature that looks like a UFO for the most part, but can also disguise itself as a cloud when it's dormant. Its insides are also very bizarre and horrifying, with people being trapped inside a tight, gigantic tube as they are slowly moved up and digested over the course of many hours. It's even more pronounced how otherworldly Jean Jacket is when it unfurls itself in the climax, wherein it looks like a gigantic inflatable jellyfish...''thing'' that pursues the remaining characters with animalistic anger.

* NervesOfSteel: While the other horses are prone to panic and run when sensing the UFO’s presence, Lucky stays still and doesn’t flee. He’s not completely fearless, as he can be heard whinnying anxiously when the alien is close, but his tendency to halt in place and not look at the alien turns out to be key to surviving encounters with the entity.

!Main Characters

->'''Played by:''' Creator/DanielKaluuya

->'''Played by:''' Creator/KekePalmer

[[folder:Angel Torres]]
!!Angel Torres
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/3c6bd37d_6be7_404a_9f4f_c8e4f051808f.jpeg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: ''"I need y’all to tell me. What did you see in that cloud?"'']]
->'''Played by:''' Creator/BrandonPerea

* AMFMCharacterization: Angel owns a variety of band tees for obscure rock bands he listens to, some of which the Haywoods end up wearing after the trio flees the ranch. Costume designer Alex Bovaird said she wanted to showcase Angel as the kind of guy who headbangs at rock concerts, as well as make him out to be a little more “depressed,” in contrast with Creator/BrandonPerea’s naturally upbeat energy in the film.
* AscendedFanboy: Played with. The film's events are much more dangerous than he'd like, but [[spoiler: since he survived the film's events and helped capture the footage of Jean Jacket, he had his UFO hunting adventure and will likely enjoy a life of fame and fortune.]]
* BaitAndSwitch: When he shows up the day after Emerald states the the UFO was hiding in a cloud, he's seen staring at a cloud and asking them what they saw in it. Given his earlier {{Cloudcuckoolander}} behavior, it seems like he's mistakenly staring at an ordinary cloud and assuming the UFO is inside. Then he reveals that specific cloud hasn't moved at all in the two days since he set up the cameras.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Despite his avid conspiracy-theorist belief in extraterrestrials, Angel’s camera system works effectively when capturing footage of the UFO. He's also shown to be an avid gamer and crypto miner, further cementing his tech skills.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: He believes in aliens and quickly inserts himself into the Haywoods' business once he realizes that they're trying to get UFO footage. Of course, this isn't a lighthearted adventure film, he's in a horror movie.
* DefrostingTheIceQueen: Angel goes from mumbling about the Haywoods being dicks to helping them capture footage of Jean Jacket in just a few days.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: When he sets up the Haywoods’ cameras, he discusses his belief in aliens, mentioning the possibility that the UFO is a “world destroyer”.
* FireForgedFriends: The Haywoods treat him like a nuisance they want to quickly get rid of, but after he helps them realize where the UFO is hiding and [[spoiler: escapes from Jean Jacket with them]], he's treated more cordially by them.
* JumpedAtTheCall: He quickly pieces together that the Haywoods are trying to get UFO evidence, so he connects their cameras to the internet so he can also check the feed and keeps an eye on things, and goes back to the ranch to help them more once they realize how serious things are.
* LaserGuidedKarma: [[spoiler: Of the positive variety.]] He's still [[spoiler: alive at the end of the movie after selflessly helping out the Haywoods, so he will likely be set for life.]]
* MeaningfulName: He's the member of the main cast least tempted by the spectacle Jean Jacket represents. Antlers is obsessed with finding his 'perfect shot,' Em wants the money and fame that was denied her family due to their race, and even O.J. wants to capture the 'Oprah Shot' to save the ranch, whereas Angel seems more concerned with spreading the truth for humanity's sake. Notably, he is the only victim that Jean Jacket spits out due to wrapping himself in barbed wire (which he was only able to do because a tarp happened to whip him away from Jean Jacket's path just in time). He is both angelic and has the luck of someone with a guardian angel.
* NiceGuy:
** Of the three leads, he seems to be the only one who prioritizes "doing something good" as a result of filming Jean Jacket, not just getting rich.
** He also seems to just want to help the Haywoods once he learns how serious the situation is. Despite tapping into their cameras even though they denied him permission to do so, he immediately calls Em to warn her when he sees that one camera is down and the other is blocked. After JJ covers their home in blood and debris from the Star Lasso Experience, he lets them stay at his place (and borrow his clothes) for the time being.
* OhCrap: After reviewing the security camera footage from the ranch, Angel notices that one of the clouds doesn't move, as it's Jean Jacket's hiding spot. He drives there and is terrified to see it with his own eyes.
* RightForTheWrongReasons: Angel is correct in assuming the UFO is hostile. He is, however, incorrect in assuming a higher intelligence from it.
* SmarterThanYouLook: He’s TheStoner with a tendency for {{Cloudcuckoolander}} behavior, though is the first to realize where the UFO is, and manages to avoid getting eaten by the alien by wrapping himself up in a tarp and barbed wire, causing Jean Jacket to spit him out.
* SoulSuckingRetailJob: He's introduced as a bummed-out cashier/installer for a big box electronics store. He visibly becomes more excited when he realizes what the Haywoods are up to and volunteers his time and effort towards it even without them asking.
* TheStoner: If the scene in Angel’s apartment is any indication, though his knowledge of alien sightings, camera systems, and technology in general might push him into EruditeStoner territory.
* WrongGenreSavvy: Angel incorrectly assumes that all aliens resemble TheGreys who are either [[IComeInPeace pacifistic space travelers]], [[TranshumanAliens time-traveling humans from the future]], or [[AliensAreBastards planet killers]]. In contrast, the actual alien is a StarfishAlien that behaves similarly to an apex predator found on Earth. It's later subverted in that he catches on to how dangerous Jean Jacket is and how to survive as soon as things start to get dangerous.

!!Supporting

[[folder:Ricky "Jupe" Park]]
!!Ricky Park
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ricky_5.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"What if I told you that you'll leave here different? I'm talking to you. Right here, you are going to witness a spectacle."'']]
->'''Played by:''' Creator/StevenYeun (adult), Jacob Kim (child)

A former child star who was forced to retire after a traumatic event during a live sitcom recording. He's desperate to reclaim his fame, and resorts to rather unorthodox measures...

** Jupe seems to secretly dislike how the incident was exploited by the media; a passive-aggressive note creeps into his voice when he says how Chris Kattan played Gordy on the ''SNL'' sketch, saying he "pretty much nailed it, better than I could".

[[folder:Antlers Holst]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/5d730c16_365d_43f8_8a46_224420291658.jpeg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"This dream you’re chasing, where you end up at the top of the mountain… it’s the one you never wake up from."'']]
->'''Played by:''' Creator/MichaelWincott

* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Despite his stoic nature, he can't help cracking a grin at the sight of a rainbow of several dozen skydancers dotting the Haywood's property, the team's metric for how far out Jean Jacket might be.
-->'''Holst:''' ''(chuckling)'' How exquisitely stupid is that?
* AmbiguousSituation: Angel specifically notices him taking prescription medication during the climax. Did some unaddressed illness contribute to his decision to go to his death, or was his listless demeanor the result of clinical depression?
* ClintSquint: His default facial expression.
* DeadpanSnarker: Though with more emphasis on the “deadpan” part.
* DrivenToSuicide: He deliberately attracts Jean Jacket’s attention during "magic hour" to capture the Impossible Shot of an alien, even though he knows doing so will get him killed.
* {{Expy}}: Of Quint from ''Film/{{Jaws}}''. Both are grizzled professionals who agree to help the heroes confront a hungry predator, and both get eaten for their troubles. They each also have a memorable moment where they sing (or in Holst's case, creepily speak-sing) the night before the big battle. Holst is arguably way less helpful than Quint was, though.
* FalseReassurance: He tells Angel "It'll be alright," right before he takes off with his smaller camera to get one more shot of Jean Jacket at the cost of his life. Angel even lampshades it, telling OJ and Em that "Holst said some really creepy cryptic shit, then ran off with his camera."
* GenreSavvy: As soon as he hears the news about people vanishing near the Haywoods' ranch, he realizes that they were telling the truth about the golden opportunity there, books it to their place, and spots the suspicious cloud OJ didn't notice for weeks. [[spoiler: He also seems to be aware that he's going to die by going up the hill to get one more shot of Jean Jacket.]]
* GutturalGrowler: Much like his actor, he always speaks in a very deep growling sort of voice, even when trying to reassure someone.
* TheGruntingOrgasm: Invoked when Antlers gets sucked up by Jean Jacket while cranking the camera he is holding braced against his lower body. Though nothing can be heard because of Jean Jacket's noise, Antlers's wide-eyed, teeth-clenched rictus says it all. Considering he has been shown watching films of animal kills at home and bemoans having been unable to achieve the impossible shot -- explicitly called the money shot by Emerald -- this is both literally and figuratively the climax of his career.
* HeroOfAnotherStory: A GutturalGrowler DeadpanSnarker JadedWashout cinematographer who ominously makes pop culture references would be right at home in a B-movie or an indie art-horror film with much different tropes and rules.
* HiddenDepths: He is the only one of the main four characters to drink water rather than beer at dinner, suggesting he could be sober. Later, he takes pills shortly before Jean Jacket shows up.
* HyperAwareness: Because he's a long-time cinematographer, he has an acute attention to visual detail. While waiting for the Haywoods to come back from Angel's place in Los Angeles, he can see that one of the clouds hasn't moved at all.
* JadedWashout: Famous as he is, Antlers is very disaffected by the modern state of filmography, and his greatest purpose in life is to achieve the "impossible" shot.
* JumpedAtTheCall: He realizes that the Haywoods were on to something after hearing the news about people vanishing in the area and makes a beeline for their ranch.
* MeaningfulName: He shares his surname with composer Gustav Holst, best known for his orchestral suite ''The Planets''.
* MundaneMadeAwesome: Reciting the lyrics of "The Purple People Eater" in his gravely voice gives the novelty song an ''ominous'' quality.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: As a deep-voiced filmmaker with a somewhat cynical attitude and a penchant for ominous, dramatic speeches, Antlers bears a passing resemblance to [[Creator/WernerHerzog Werner Herzog]]. He's also involved in shooting footage of a man vs. nature conflict, which is a common theme in Herzog's filmography.
* OneForTheMoneyOneForTheArt: InUniverse. When Em admits they can't pay him right away, Holst admits that he's only interested in money so he can work on what he truly enjoys.
-->'''Holst:''' Well, I already do one for them [i.e. commercial projects] so I can do one for me.
* SeenItAllSuicide: Deconstructed. He commits suicide by drawing Jean Jacket's attention, but he does so because of his desire to "see it all" (something that he references multiple times) and to capture the footage of what it looks like when he's devoured.
* ShownTheirWork: Wincott studied Creator/HoyteVanHoytema, the acclaimed cinematographer who shot ''Nope''. Some elements of the character, like his preference for IMAX stock or his black shirts and scarves, were taken from Hoytema.

!!Antagonist
[[folder:The UFO]]
!!Jean Jacket / ''Occulonimbus edoequus''
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/f167bb7c_591d_4f0c_b0b7_b72dd94799c9.jpeg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: [[labelnote:Click here to see its "hunting" form]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/5477e472_2dae_4817_a314_97a7129271b5.jpeg]] [[/labelnote]]
[[caption-width-right:350: [[labelnote:Click here to see it “unfolded”]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screen_shot_2022_08_17_at_100006_2.png]] [[/labelnote]]
The film's main threat and the reason behind the death of the Haywood siblings' father -- and in fact, not a ship, but rather a strange flying predatory animal that seems to think the area is an excellent feeding ground.

* AccidentalMurder: While expelling indigestible materials, Jean Jacket accidentally dislodges a nickel which kills O.J. and Emerald's father.
* AliensStealCattle:
** Horses were Jean Jacket's preferred prey, specifically the ones from Haywood's ranch that Ricky feeds it. It only starts actively hunting humans after being tricked into swallowing a fake horse.
** However, given that there's a news report about missing hikers just before household metal objects like keys and loose change rain down on Otis Sr. and Jr., it may have been opportunistically preying on humans that strayed too close when it was resting.
* AllegoricalCharacter:
** Of obsession and exploitation, specifically how people and animals are objectified by those wanting to achieve fame and fortune. Jean Jacket is used to show how Hollywood has no respect for animals and discards them ultimately for the sake of spectacle. Much like how Gordy and Lucky react negatively to being looked directly in the eyes, the UFO feels threatened whenever it is looked at and is treated as nothing more than a living prop or a means to achieve fame.
** Embodies how untameable wild animals actually are and how they shouldn't be anthropomorphized into your friend or underling. The disaster at the park was caused by Jupe confusing the wild animal for something intelligent that trusted/respected him. Jupe thought he had Jean Jacket figured out and it attacked the park and everyone there because of its instincts.
* AndroclesLion: [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]] and subsequently [[DefiedTrope defied]]. Jupe tries to tame Jean Jacket by feeding it horses from the Haywood siblings (who weren't aware of what he was doing with their horses). While Jean Jacket does come to associate Jupe's theme park with a steady food supply, enough that Jupe can reliably summon it, he's still severely out of his depth. When Jean Jacket accidentally eats a plastic horse, it's severely angered, and Jupe doesn't help matters when he assembles an audience at the Star Lasso Experience, meaning an entire crowd of eyes is now on an animal that absolutely ''hates'' being looked at. Jupe is consumed alongside his family, his employees, and the audience.
* AnimalNemesis: It becomes one to the Haywoods due to its homicidal self-protectiveness and tendency to eat their horses. And the people around them.
* AngelicAbomination: After being wounded by the barbed wire it was tricked into swallowing up, Jean Jacket unfolds itself into a larger form as a threat display, similar to certain animals like peacocks, which is reminiscent of a [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Biblical angel]].
* AstonishinglyAppropriateAppearance: Aside from looking like a classic flying saucer when folded, its eye resembles a massive camera lens, making it look like it's recording the main characters as they're trying to photograph it. Seen from beneath when folded up, it resembles an enormous cowboy hat, appropriate for the antagonist of a neo-Western story about the dark side of the American entertainment industry. It also strongly resembles a giant, predatory weather balloon, which are also often associated with aliens and flying saucers.
* BalloonOfDoom: Most of its structure is actually ''inflated'', rather than solid. When we see people eaten from their perspective, it has the horrifying and surreal quality of being eaten by a bouncy house.
* BigBad: It is the film's main antagonist, a carnivorous flying beast motivated only by hunger and responding to threats.
* BizarreAlienBiology: It looks like a flying saucer when its body is folded up. Unfolded, it almost seems to be made of nylon like a parachute. Its eye is a massive green square that can be moved from one end of its body to the other and telescopes from its body multiple times in layers, like an old-timey camera. It can somehow generate both [=EMPs=] and clouds, protecting itself from observation. Finally, it eats by sucking up everything underneath it, trapping them in a layer of tissue, later spitting out anything it can't digest as a RainOfBlood and viscera.
* BizarreAlienSenses: Jean Jacket is provoked when anyone looks directly at it, and can somehow ''tell'' when it's being looked at no matter which direction it's facing or how far away the viewer is. Despite this, it's still fooled by artificial eyes.
* DoingInTheWizard: An in-universe example, its appearance and feeding habits add to up to imply that in the movie's canon, it and any others of its kind that might exist are the real scientific explanation for things like flying saucers, alien abductions, AliensStealCattle, and possibly even older, more mystical stories like gods and angels.
* DontLookAtMe: Like many terrestrial animals, such as chimps, it sees being looked directly at as a threat, and so sucks up anything that looks at it, even non-living things like a horse statue and inflatable men. It's to the point it senses aggression from the Kid Sheriff balloon while hunting Emerald, and [[HoistByHisOwnPetard attempting to eat it ultimately results in its death.]]
* EldritchAbomination: Jean Jacket is a gigantic alien creature that looks like a UFO for the most part, but can also disguise itself as a cloud when it's dormant. Its insides are also very bizarre and horrifying, with people being trapped inside a tight, gigantic tube as they are slowly moved up and digested over the course of many hours. It's even more pronounced how otherworldly Jean Jacket is when it unfurls itself in the climax, wherein it looks like a gigantic inflatable jellyfish...''thing'' that pursues the remaining characters with animalistic anger.
* EvilIsBigger: It was already the size of a small house in UFO form, but its unfolded form makes it ''HUGE''.
* EvilIsNotAToy: Well, more like "''Wild Animals'' Are Not a Toy", but Ricky's attempt to commodify Jean Jacket was bound to [[GoneHorriblyWrong backfire horribly]], especially since the situation is similar to his experience with Gordy ([[AesopAmnesia an experience that he's learned nothing from]]) and the fact that he's completely unaware that the [=UFO=] isn't actually an alien spaceship. All Ricky accomplishes is getting himself and 39 other people killed.
* EvilIsPetty: It was clearly not keen on eating a fake horse Emerald and OJ use as bait, so it later consumes Ricky and the audience of his Star Lasso Experience and expels indigestible wastes over their home to assert dominance, then very pointedly drops the horse on OJ's truck.
* EvilOverlooker: It's the cloud in ''Nope'''s movie posters. It also spends much of its time hiding in an unmoving cloud when it's not hunting.
* ExcrementStatement: After being agitated by swallowing the fake horse from Jupiter's Claim, which lodged inside it, and devouring the attendees of the Star Lasso Experience afterward, it seems to pointedly hover over the Haywood House as it regurgitates the undigested material from the meal. When OJ drives up, it moves over to rest above his vehicle before spitting up the horse statue onto his van. A clear display of dominance from a creature established to be territorial.
* {{Expy}}: Its role in the story is very similar to that (in personality, color, and theme) to [[Literature/MobyDick Moby Dick]] - [[RecycledInSpace but in the Sky!]] Or for a film example, similar to Bruce the Shark from ''{{Film/Jaws}}''.
* EyeMotifs: Jean Jacket resembles a giant eye; OJ and Emerald's father is shown missing an eye after his death, and a woman in an old black-and-white film being worked on by Antlers Holst is shown with a hand forming a circle over her eye. Early on, OJ's horse freaks out when it sees its own eye staring back at it in a mirror, which helps OJ theorize that Jean Jacket gets agitated when it thinks it's being watched; he adds some fake eyes to his hoodie to attract its attention during the final confrontation, where later its own massive, square eye is on full display.
* FeedItABomb: Sort of -- Emerald tricks it into eating a very large helium balloon during the climax, which ends up popping inside of it, leading to its explosive death.
* FluffyTheTerrible: OJ names it Jean Jacket after one of the horses the Haywoods used to have.
* FlyingSeafoodSpecial: It's basically a jellyfish adapted to live in the sky instead of the sea. It even projects an [[ElectricJellyfish electrical field]] like jellyfish often do (in fiction anyways).
* FlyingSaucer: It looks like one (but so do aquatic jellyfish).
* GiantFlyer: Jean Jacket is big enough that its ''mouth'' is larger than the Haywoods' house.
* HanlonsRazor: A lot of the film is based around realizing Jean Jacket isn't a group of InscrutableAliens acting out of malicious intent, but a hungry wild animal nowhere near smart enough to comprehend the horrific pain it’s inflicting on its victims.
* HellIsThatNoise: A DroneOfDread is the closest thing to vocalizations it can make, but it doesn't do this often. More frequently, after a fresh meal, Jean Jacket's live victims can be still heard screaming in distress from within it. Because of the horse statue blocking its insides, this lasts for hours after its Jupiter's Claim feeding, before it [[NothingIsScarier very suddenly stops]].
* HeWasRightThereAllAlong: When not hunting, it hides in a cloud that never moves. Once it's brought to his attention, OJ realizes that said cloud hasn't moved in the last six months.
* HiddenInPlainSight: When not hunting, it hides itself in a cloud which never moves. Angel only notices when he fast-forwards through the recorded security footage, and OJ quickly realizes it must have been there for at least six months and he never noticed it.
* HungryMenace: Jean Jacket is simply a flying carnivore that found a surplus of food in OJ and Emerald's home area and started eating horses (and later humans) in the same way a lion would eat an antelope.
* IntimidationDemonstration:
** After getting tricked into eating barbed wire, it unfolds into a gigantic jellyfish-like shape, presumably in an effort to stare the protagonists down. Since it doesn't seem to have any form of attack besides eating things, making itself look scarier is probably its last line of defense.
** It also might amplify the screams of its victims for this purpose. The TMZ reporter's screams are noticeably louder after he's been eaten than before.
* ItCanThink: Inverted and PlayedWith.
** TheReveal is kicked off by OJ realizing Jean Jacket's behavior only makes sense if it's a simple-minded solitary predator. It isn't stupid, but it's also not sapient in the way one would consider a human, reacting to threats on instinct instead of intelligently.
** That said, it's also eventually made clear that, by animal standards, Jean Jacket is surprisingly intelligent. Its ability to react with aggression to perceived challenges to its territory, mark said territory as its own, recognize "handshake deal" exchanges with humans, and quickly associate certain colors with inedible objects are behaviors more consistent among intelligent predatory mammals than the giant, flying jellyfish it appears to be. In fact, it only ends its "relationship" with Jupe because OJ and Em accidentally trick it into eating one of his horse decoys, which it sees as him reneging on the agreement (the crowd probably didn't help, either). It's not a sapient being, but it is a rather brainy animal.
* {{Kaiju}}: It is a giant, flying creature that looks like an ordinary UFO flying saucer when it is hunting.
* KarmicDeath: Downplayed as it is ultimately an animal with no sense of morality, but when it swallows an indigestible balloon, it starts groaning loudly as though in pain right before it pops and kills it, meaning that in the end its final moments consisted of it screaming in agony as it inescapably dies to something it had no way of anticipating or comprehending, just like its previous victims earlier in the film. The shot of the balloon exploding in its digestive tract is even framed similarly to the previous scenes focusing on it digesting its human victims.
* LivingGasbag: It seems to propel itself either through jet propulsion, electromagnetic levitation, or a mixture of both.
* LivingShip: While it presumably isn't intentionally looking like a machine, humans repeatedly confuse it for a mechanical flying saucer.
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: Seriously downplayed, it's never confirmed if it's actually an extraterrestrial or just an undiscovered and ''really weird'' species native to Earth. Some supplementary materials seem to lean more toward the latter, but even this largely comes down to the theories of in-universe scientists.
* MeaningfulName: Its scientific name, ''Occulonimbus edoequus'' translates to "Horse-eating eye cloud". Its most commonly seen abducting horses to eat them and then there's the fact it intentionally made a nest offscreen near OJ's farm by the beginning of the movie to raid it every other night for horses.
* NonMaliciousMonster: It's not evil, just hungry and territorial; its consumption of people and horses is no more heinous than any wild predator catching and killing prey to eat and survive, we just see it from the perspective of its sapient food source instead of the usual neutral perspective.
* NothingIsScarier: Where this creature came from and how it ended up on Earth is never explained. This makes its very presence in the movie all the more unnerving.
* OminousFog: It seems to be able to produce this at will as a concealment measure, hence the cloud that it hides in when it's not hunting.
* OneWingedAngel: It spends most of the film in its compacted UFO form, but unfolds into its ''enormous'' true form for the climax. PlayedWith, however, in that this likely isn't a "true form", but more of a threat display, like a frilled lizard's frill. Since it doesn't seem to have any way to deal with things besides eating them, this is probably its only means of scaring off whatever it can't eat.
* OurCryptidsAreMoreMysterious: There's really only two plausible explanations for it - it's either an alien lifeform (possible but on the other hand it seems super [[ExplosiveDecompression sensitive to changes in air pressure]] which tends to happen when one enters or exits an atmosphere) or it's a cryptid and a naturally occurring Earth species that lives so high up in the sky humans rarely encounter it (and given that it's evolved a form of camouflage to look like a cloud and react to human eyes, it certainly seems well-suited to being an earth-borne predator). In particular, "orbs" and "rods" were often theorized to be [=UFOs=] called Skyfish (and indeed - "Skyfish" often proved to be mundane aerial insects moving too quickly for primitive cameras to capture definitive images of).
* SpitOutAShoe: [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]] and PlayedForHorror. It spits out any indigestible matter from its meals, which can make them dangerous projectiles from a high enough altitude, with one such example being a coin that killed OJ's Father. The horror is amped up when it also unleashes a rain of debris and viscera onto the Haywood house after devouring the attendees of the Star Lasso Experience.
* TheSpook: What is Jean Jacket? Is it really an extraterrestrial, or did it originate on Earth? If so, is Jean Jacket one of a kind, or could there be more due to the many UFO sightings over the years? The film does not answer any of these questions.
* StarfishAliens: It's a giant spacefaring(?) jellyfish that looks like a flying saucer when foraging. It looks even stranger at the end of the film when it unfolds into a new form that apparently is for staring down prey/threats that's hard to describe. Just see the picture above.
* ToServeMan: It devoured everyone who looked at it in Ricky's Star Lasso show, and it gets to eat Antlers and a TMZ reporter in the climax, and nearly Angel as well.
* {{Ultraterrestrials}}: Supplemental materials all but confirm that Jean Jacket's species evolved on Earth, which means that that its species is the origin behind all UFO sightings, alien abduction stories, and tales of celestial chariots going back to the dawn of mankind.
* UrineTrouble: Played with. Since the earlier rain of nickels, keys, and other objects that killed Otis Sr. was bloodless, Jean Jacket quickly crushing its prey and vomiting the half-digested remains all over the house can be seen as akin to territorial urination: it's the deliberate aggression of an animal warning the Haywoods away and marking their house as its own.
* VacuumMouth: Its sole method of capturing prey is somehow generating a vortex from its mouth to the ground, stirring up a dust cloud in the desert climate from the funnel of wind this creates.
* WalkingSpoiler: More like a "''Flying'' Spoiler" given it doesn't have legs, but the truth behind what the UFO is -- a living creature that can unfold into another form, rather than a spaceship -- is hard to discuss without spoilers.
* WaterfallPuke: Almost literally -- Jean Jacket purges its guts over the Haywood ranch house in the middle of a rainstorm to mark its territory, leading to a chilling shot of blood dripping down the windows.
* WeaksauceWeakness: What finally does it in: a big helium balloon popping. Apparently its anatomy couldn't handle compressed air. It also ejects Angel because he's wrapped in barbed wire. Since its only means of offense is eating things, there isn't really anything it can do against someone who knows how sensitive its insides are.
* WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: Despite the intimidating form it takes in the climax, its only mode of offense seems to be eating things. The protagonists exploit this to beat and eventually kill it.
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Jean Jacket spends most of the film with a string of flags caught in its "throat"; the Haywoods surmise that it would rather this not happen again, and use a parachute with flags attached to distract it during the climax.
* WouldHurtAChild: When it abducts Ricky and his audience, it also eats his children, and some children in attendance in the audience.
* YourSizeMayVary: Its first close-up appearance makes it appear relatively small, with its mouth being around the size of a horse or a little bigger. Later, it's so large that same mouth is bigger than OJ's ''house''. That's not even getting into its unfolded form. [[{{JustifiedTrope}} Justified]] by its ability to fold and unfold itself into different sizes and shapes; its size ''literally'' varies, depending on what it’s doing.

!!Other characters
[[folder:Otis Haywood Sr.]]
!!Otis Haywood Sr.
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nope_otis_haywood_sr_jacket.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"I guess some animals ain't fit to be tamed."'']]
->'''Played by''': Creator/KeithDavid

OJ and Emerald's father and the original owner of the ranch. He was killed by Jean Jacket, albeit unintentionally.

* DeathByLookingUp: Looking up when Jean Jacket was expelling various objects caused a nickel to pierce his eye. Had he not looked up, it likely would've just hit his skull and caused minor injuries.
* EyeScream: He is mortally wounded when Jean Jacket expels a coin that pierces through his eye and implants itself deeply in his brain.
* LikeParentLikeChild: Em claims that he and OJ shared a similar hard-headedness and had difficulty with accepting change.
* LivingLegend: He was ''the'' horse trainer in Hollywood.
* ParentalFavoritism: He groomed OJ as his successor, completely shutting out Emerald from the business, even taking the horse that he promised to teach her to train away from her for a movie he was working on. Emerald still holds a grudge even after his passing, and her relationship with OJ is tense at the start of the film. OJ suggests that this was because [[TooMuchAlike her father and her were too similar, causing them to butt heads]].
* PlotTriggeringDeath: His death at the start of the film causes the rest of the Haywoods' plot, and arguably Ricky's B-plot as well. While Jean Jacket was clearly already eating humans at this point, if Otis Sr. had been alive the ranch probably wouldn't have been in such trouble as he would have still had some clout to get clients, OJ wouldn't have needed to keep selling horses to Ricky (thus enabling him to keep Jean Jacket in the area, to the point it starts becoming dangerously territorial), and the siblings wouldn't have been so desperate to profit off Jean Jacket with the 'money shot' and thus wouldn't have unwittingly tricked Jean Jacket into eating the horse statue, leading it to devour Ricky and his audience.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: He dies within a few minutes of seeing him, but his death and the financial trouble it leaves OJ in leads to him selling Jupe some of the horses. This leads to Jean Jacket marking the area as its own and ultimately killing around 42 more people.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: He dies within the first few minutes of the film.

[[folder:Lucky]]
!!Lucky

One of the horses kept on the Haywood family ranch.

* MeaningfulName: His name is Lucky, and he survives three encounters with the UFO.
* NervesOfSteel: While the other horses are prone to panic and run when sensing the UFO’s presence, Lucky stays still and doesn’t flee. He’s not completely fearless, as he can be heard whinnying anxiously when the alien is close, but his tendency to halt in place and not look at the alien turns out to be key to surviving encounters with the entity.
* ReleasedToElsewhere: Subverted. OJ sells him to Jupe after he gets spooked at the commercial shoot, not knowing that Jupe intends to feed him to the UFO as he did the other horses he bought from him. Lucky ends up surviving.
* SoleSurvivor: He’s the only horse from the ranch that manages to survive. He’s also the only survivor of the Star Lasso show, ironically so considering his whole purpose there was to be fed to the alien.

[[folder:Amber Park]]
!!Amber Park
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/amber_189.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"They're giving us the ''real'' show today!"'']]
->'''Played by''': Creator/WrennSchmidt

Jupe's wife.

* BehindEveryGreatMan: She's the true ringleader of her husband's theme park and is always on top of just about everything.
* ControlFreak: It's made clear she's the one truly running Jupiter's Claim. She's introduced handling press passes for the upcoming Star Lasso Experience preview, then is seen coaching Jupe's monologue. When supervising the actual [[ArcWords spectacle]], she's displeased at any hiccups: she shoots a DeathGlare at the sound technician when she's late in switching music tracks, and shows very little patience for the audience when they pull out phone cameras after the pre-recorded message just told them not to.
* EatenAlive: Along with her husband Jupe, their three sons, and everyone else at the Star Lasso Experience. If you look closely in the background, she appears to be one of the first people to be sucked up by Jean Jacket.
* HappilyMarried: She is clearly supportive of her husband and helps him with his little amusement park.
* MeaningfulName: Amber (the substance) is fossilized tree resin that sometimes forms around organisms, keeping them trapped and preserved over time. Similarly, this Amber keeps her husband stuck in the role of a performer, which also serves to trap him in his emotionally stunted ways rather than giving him the necessary space to deal with his deep trauma.
* SatelliteCharacter: She only appears at Jupiter's Claim working alongside her husband.
* TheShowMustGoOn: She's quicker than Jupe to improvise an audience-friendly explanation when the UFO shows up an hour earlier than expected.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: She appears in only a handful of scenes before she's eaten by Jean Jacket.

[[folder:Mary Jo Elliot]]
!!Mary Jo Elliot
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maryjo.png]]
->'''Played by''': Sophia Coto (young), Haley Babula (adult)

Jupe's co-star on ''Gordy's Home''.

* BodyHorror: Aside from the damage inflicted to her face, Gordy evidently beat her hard enough with his fists to damage her pelvis or spine, as she needs to use a motorized wheelchair to move around, and gets out of it with some difficulty when she looks up at the sky.
* CruelAndUnusualDeath: After surviving the incident on ''Gordy's Home'', she is sucked up and eaten by Jean Jacket during the preview of the "Star Lasso Experience." Her wheelchair ends up on the roof of the Haywoods' house when Jean Jacket purges over it later.
* EatenAlive: Along with her old co-star Jupe and everyone else at the Star Lasso Experience.
* FacialHorror: Her lips were bitten off by Gordy, forcing her to wear a veil when she goes out in public. As chimp attacks go, she actually got off ''incredibly'' lightly -- attacking chimps often go for the nose and eyes.
* FormerChildStar: Her acting career took a nosedive like Jupe's did after the chimp incident, not only because of her face disfigurement, but because the producers wanted to distance themselves from the incident by cutting ties with those involved.
* MaskingTheDeformity: Due to the damage to her face, she wears a veil when in public.
* PrecociousCrush: Jupe mentions that Mary Jo was his first crush, and she was clearly a few years older than him.
* ShootTheShaggyDog: After surviving the ''Gordy's Home'' incident, she appears to have spent the next twenty-odd years in seclusion. And then she's eaten by Jean Jacket after being invited to Jupe's Star Lasso Experience.
* UnderageCasting: Sophia Coto (16 years old at the time of ''Nope'''s release) [[https://vvdfx.com/vvdfx-portfolio/mary-jo/ plays]] Mary Jo Elliott as both a teenager and a 40-something woman. ([[FacialHorror Not that you can tell]]).
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: While filming the birthday party, it was Mary Jo's gift of balloons that ended up triggering Gordy's rampage, though of course that was the fault of the writers and producers for putting her in that position, and only her misfortune to be the one to actually commit the act.
* WhiteDwarfStarlet: The damage to her face clearly put an abrupt end to her career. She is shown wearing a sweater depicting her child face before the incident.

[[folder:Gordy]]
!!"Gordy"
->'''Played by''': Creator/TerryNotary

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/31753a1a_a9bf_4408_bd3b_ef5e5847b722.jpeg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"...we were shooting an episode in Season 2 entitled “Gordy’s Birthday”. And, boom. One of the chimps that plays Gordy just hit his limit."'' - Jupe Park]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see Gordy during the ''Gordy's Home'' massacre]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nope_2022_vfx_press.jpg[[/labelnote]]]]

A chimpanzee actor who portrayed the titular character of a ShowWithinAShow called ''Gordy's Home''. After a few balloons burst, Gordy, already on edge from being stared at by many humans, goes on a bloody rampage mauling his fellow cast members before being gunned down.

* ActorRoleConfusion: Played for drama. Jupe notes that he wasn't really named "Gordy", referring to him first as "one of the chimps that plays Gordy" -- but from then on, he describes him solely through the lens of the ''SNL'' sketch, which also called him "Gordy", and the audience never learns the chimp's real name; even the credits list Terry Notary as such. As he's trying to stare the chimp down, Tom Bogan fearfully stammers, "N-n-no, Gordy, no!" seconds before the chimp beats Tom to death. All of it illustrates how the sitcom treated the animal: as an unpaid actor or a LivingProp they could use as they saw fit, rather than a wild creature that posed a threat to others if placed in that setting.
* BilingualBonus: When Gordy calms down, he's not flailing his arms aimlessly after finding Jupe under the table. Gordy's actually using American Sign Language and his gestures translate to "What happened to family?", confirming that Gordy was actually overwhelmed with feelings of stress and/or fear during the party scene and his massacre was just a fight or flight response.
* CollectiveIdentity: According to Jupe, there were multiple chimpanzees that played Gordy in the show. Since nobody bothered to learn their real names, everyone just collectively calls the chimpanzees "Gordy", both on-camera and off-camera.
* DissonantSerenity: His rampage comes across as calculated and methodical, beating up anyone who moves until they stop moving and pursuing anyone he sees running away. When there's no one left, he looks over the carnage he wrought with a calmness one would ascribe to a psychopath if holding him to human standards, reflecting one of the film's themes that you ''shouldn't'' expect animals to work the way humans do. His rampage was simply a stress response, and his subsequent calmness sees him revert back to his status as a meticulously well-trained animal, and when he spots young Jupe hiding, he approaches with the intent to give their customary greeting, having no expectation that he should do otherwise.
* FarmerAndTheViper: The producers of ''Gordy's Home'' made the fatal error of believing they could tame a chimpanzee and simply deny its basic instincts rather than accommodate them and not anthropomorphize the animal. Although Gordy was trained in sign language and was trained by animal handlers to be docile around humans, once Gordy became stressed, he killed 2 of his co-stars and violently disfigured another in a fit of fear and rage.
* IntelligentPrimate: Downplayed, Gordy was actually trained to use American Sign Language and uses it to say "What happened to family?" when he calmed down after his rampage.
* {{Irony}}: The theme to ''Gordy's Home'' was "(You're A) Strange Animal" by Lawrence Gowan. The producers likely chose the song under the belief that it invokes the [[MischiefMakingMonkey wackiness of owning a monkey as a pet]]. When, in actuality, the song is actually sung from the perspective of ''the animal'' not the human and the song is an allegory for the mistreatment of animals. At the end of the music video, it outright confirms this by saying "Man, you're the strangest animal".
* KillerGorilla: Gordy was a show animal that took part in a show called ''Gordy's Home'', which was about an astronaut mom adopting a chimp from NASA and taking it home to live with her and her family. However, during a special episode of the series, Gordy blacked out and entered fight or flight mode after being stared at by the audience and becoming panicked after hearing some balloons pop at the same time. During a rampage that lasted only six minutes and thirteen seconds, Gordy killed Tom Bogan, mutilated Mary Jo Elliot's face, and [[https://www.instagram.com/p/CkJSJpYL5KQ/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== mutilated Phyllis Mayberry's right hand as she escaped the studio]]. Ricky "Jupe" Park managed to survive because he hid under a table as he rampaged, and Gordy only noticed him once he had calmed down.
* MischiefMakingMonkey: Invoked, but horribly averted. Gordy was supposed to be the main character of a sitcom where an astronaut mom adopts a NASA monkey and takes it home to live with her and her family in the suburbs. However, during a special episode of Gordy's Home, Gordy snapped from the stress of being stared at, seeing people bare their teeth, and hearing balloons popping. In a six-minute rampage, Gordy killed two actors, mutilated a child actor, and was shot dead by animal control while he was distracted by Ricky.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: After mauling three of his costars, Gordy becomes docile and doesn't seem to remember what he did, implying that he blacked out when he became stressed.
* ObliviouslyEvil: After finding Jupe under the table, he uses American Sign Language to say "What happened to family?" which indicates that Gordy wasn't aware of the harm he was doing and was just in a state of extreme stress and fear.
* PleaseWakeUp: A variation. When Gordy finally comes down from his rage, confused, he nudges Mary Jo's foot with his hand, though she's not dead and is likely in shock, has passed out from the pain or is just too terrified to move; previously during his rampage, when she showed signs of life, he rained blows down on her and bit her lips off. After finding Jupe under the table, he asks in sign language, "What happened to family?", confirming that Gordy didn't know that he had killed his "family" in a fit of rage and panic.
* RippedFromTheHeadlines: Gordy's rampage seems to be heavily inspired by [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travis_(chimpanzee) Travis]], who was similarly a trained, so-called "tamed" chimp who went into a rage one day with devastating consequences. Mary Jo Elliott has similar injuries (a mutilated hand and face) from Gordy's attack to the woman who was mauled by Travis.
* SillySimian: Invoked but horrifyingly defied. The chimpanzee was put in the role of Gordy, a monkey from NASA that lives with a suburban family, and Gordy was supposed to be a comedic character who gets into shenanigans with Jupe's character, Mikey Houston (if the intro was anything to go by). Unfortunately, Gordy got stressed out during a birthday episode and attacked his co-stars in a fit of rage, killing two, disfiguring one, and only sparing Jupe because he was lucky enough to be hiding under a table once Gordy calmed down.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: He only appears in two or three scenes, but is ultimately the root of Ricky's trauma, loss of fame, and desperation to gain it back.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Implied in the intro of the in-film sitcom where Gordy is seen with a bag of popcorn when turning on the television set.
* TragicMonster: He only started to attack the cast and crew due to being frightened by the sudden popping of the balloons and being stared at by both his costars and the audience. After completing his rampage, Gordy recovers from his blackout, and when he sees Ricky, he tries to initiate their signature exploding fist bump with him, only to be shot by Animal Control.
* TruthInTelevision:
** Chimpanzees don't like being watched and the species will perceive prolonged eye contact and baring of teeth as an act of aggression and intimidation. When attending a zoo (if the exhibits don't have tinted glass), keepers will inform attendees that they shouldn't bare their teeth or stare too long at a chimpanzee's eyes as this will cause stress to the animal and see it as a threat. During the taping of the show, Gordy was being stared at by both his costars and the audience and was under intense stress because of it. Sure enough, a big reason that Gordy didn’t maul Jupe like he did his costars was that their eye contact was obscured by the tablecloth Jupe was hiding under.
** Baby and juvenile chimpanzees are small, cute, and usually on the sweet, biddable side. But they grow up and hit puberty like humans do, though much stronger than humans and with prominent canine teeth. Being raised away from their own kind and especially as pets or for commercial exploitation means their socialization is often weird as well. Things that didn't bother them when they were younger end up bothering them greatly. Gordy's face is pale like a young chimpanzee's, but he's certainly large enough to be out of his childhood, so with this in mind, it’s highly likely that a big factor of Gordy’s rampage was that he was fueled by extreme hormonal reactions, on top of his lack of proper socialization.
** Chimpanzee groups operate as a dominance hierarchy, and the dominant chimpanzees will often bully the weaker members of their society into giving them food. When attending zoos, customers are expressly told not to feed the chimpanzees because they then will expect food from all humans (which will make them aggressive if they don't get any), and chimpanzees will treat humans as weaker animals that can be easily intimidated by them for food. In ''Gordy's Home'', Gordy was having a birthday party, and food was likely used to placate him and keep him docile, but it instead didn't do enough to calm him down or it gave him the impression that he could easily fight them all.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Gordy's rampage instilled a fear and naivety towards animals in Ricky, which ultimately led to him creating the Star Lasso Experience to reignite his fame.
* VillainOfAnotherStory: Gordy entering a violent rage and attacking his co-stars made national news and proved to be the defining moment in Ricky's life. Gordy himself has no direct bearing on the plot, only serving as the catalyst for Jupe's actions in adulthood, and as a thematic parallel to Jean Jacket.
* WouldHurtAChild: One of the victims of Gordy's rampage was child actress Mary Jo Elliot, whose face was torn apart. In the present day, Mary Jo appears in the audience at Jupiter's Claim, and we get a glimpse of her face when the wind blows her veil up. [[FacialHorror It's not pretty.]] It's implied that Gordy simply blacked out and was operating under fight or flight instincts, so he didn't really target her specifically and was attacking indiscriminately in a state of extreme stress and fear.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Ryder Muybridge]]
!!Ryder Muybridge
->'''Played by''': Creator/DevonGraye

[[quoteright:600:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nope_tmz_biker.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:600: ''"What ''did'' happen to Jupe Park and all those people? He was basically your neighbor, right? So, what, they vanished? You don't believe the flood narrative, do you?"'']]

A TMZ Reporter who trespasses on the Haywoods' land, seeking the truth behind the disappearances at Jupiter's Claim. After crashing his motorcycle, he is promptly devoured by Jean Jacket.
----
* AssholeVictim: Calls Emerald a "nobody" after she refuses to an interview - and after she warns him about the danger.
* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: Silver. He wears a reflective biker helmet that obscures his face, reflecting his job as a reporter by visually turning him into a living camera.
* CoolBike: He has an electric one, which gets borrowed by Emerald after his death.
* TheFaceless: He never takes off his motorcycle helmet.
* HateSink: Unlike the other characters in the movie, Ryder is an absolutely ''obnoxious'' {{Paparazzi}} reporter with no redeeming qualities or common sense to speak of.
* MeaningfulName: It's not mentioned in the movie, but his surname is the same as Eadweard Muybridge, the man who created the first motion-picture film of a man on a horse (with the Haywoods' ancestor as the jockey), making it fitting that he shows up in the movie with the goal of filming the Haywoods. His first name "Ryder" could also be a nod to the fact that for most of his screen time, he's riding a motorcycle.
* {{Paparazzi}}: He has all the hallmarks of the worst kind, trespassing on private property and smugly referring to Emerald as a "nobody" when she refuses an interview with him. This continues even after he's injured, still focusing on getting pictures instead of seeking medical help.
* ScreamsLikeALittleGirl: He lets out a high-pitched yelp as he flies off his bike when Jean Jacket shuts it off.
* SkewedPriorities: After breaking multiple limbs after crashing his bike, instead of asking for medical help, he begs OJ to get his camera and photograph him. Even when the UFO begins bearing down on the two of them, he still tells OJ to photograph it and "make a name for yourself" instead of escaping.
* TooDumbToLive: He trespasses on private property right next to an active crime scene, then continues to drive further in when warned to go away. Needless to say, he pays dearly.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: He dies after only a few minutes of screentime.