From first-time feature film directorDavid Oyelowoand writerEmma Needell, the family adventure storyThe Water Manfollows a boy named Gunner (Lonnie Chavis) as he sets out on a quest to find a mythic figure with the secret to immortality that can save his ill mother (Rosario Dawson). With the help of a mysterious girl (Amiah Miller) who claims to have some of the answers he seeks, Gunner believes this dangerous mission is his only chance to keep his family together.
During this 1-on-1 phone interview with Collider, Oyelowo (who also plays Gunner’s father in the film) talked about how he ended up directingThe Water Man, the fantasy films that inspired him when he was growing up, what he’s learned from the filmmakers that he’s worked with, his relationship withOprah Winfrey(who produced the film), finding his young lead, and the filmmakers he screened the movie for. He also talked about why makingNightingalewas one of the highlights of his career, what’s up next for him, and whether he’ll jump right back into directing again.
Collider: When this script came your way, was it with the thought that you might direct it, or were you just considering it as an actor and the opportunity to direct came later?
DAVID OYELOWO: It was the latter. Actually, I had pursued the project because when I was made aware of the film, it was so evocative of the kinds of films I had really loved growing up,E.T.being a formative movie in my childhood, as was the case with so many, I’m sure. So, I really pursued it primarily as a producer. I knew that I wanted to play that role because I knew that in playing that role, it would be a family of color. As much as I loved films likeE.T.growing up, I very seldom saw myself reflected in them, so I wanted that to be something that was possible withThe Water Man. And then, after a few years of developing the project with Emma Needell, who wrote the script, we had a director, we had our star, Lonnie [Chavis], we had our financing, and we had a start date, but then we lost our director. Finding Lonnie was like finding a needle in a haystack. We knew that they were gonna be very few kids that was so perfect to play this role, so we were determined to go. It was actually Emma, who turned to me and said, “David, I think you should direct this.” After nearly falling off my chair, I gathered myself and, after two weeks of deliberation, I conceded to doing it. That’s how I ended up in the director’s chair.
Along withE.T., you’ve previously mentioned that you were also influenced byThe Goonies,Stand By Me,The NeverEnding Story,GremlinsandMannequin, which are all films that I also love. When you were younger, what did you see in fantasy that made you love that kind of story?
OYELOWO: What really spoke to me about those films is how the fantasy intersected with reality. It was the fact that, even though they were fantastical, I was able to identify with the very real side of those children’s journeys.E.T.starts with a family whose father just left and they’re dealing with being about to become a single parent family. Even though that wasn’t my experience, it just grounded the film, beyond it just being a fantastical, imaginative, fluffy story. It was the same thing withThe Goonies. That starts with their community being about to be ripped apart by developers and losing their friends, and then the fantasy starts.Stand By Mewas about going to find a dead body, for goodness sake. Those were the narratives that made me feel seen and understood, as a young person, but they didn’t undermine the expansive nature of the childish and childlike imagination, as well.
Do you share those movies with your own kids and have they reacted or felt about them the way that you do?
OYELOWO: I have, and they did. That’s why I’m confused as to why we don’t have more of them, these days. The films that, nowadays, I tend to find myself watching with my kids, and I enjoy them, are Marvel movies and Star Wars movies, and films of that nature that tend to have superheroes in them. The reality is that those films don’t have the same level of relatability as something likeE.T.or evenThe Water Man, which deals with a real family that are going through real issues, but are still magical, fantastical and adventurous. That is something that I’ve been craving and I’ve watched my kids love watching those kinds of movies.
If directing a remake or a re-imagining of any of those movies were ever offered to you, would you ever consider taking that on, or are those films sacred and off-limits for you?
OYELOWO: It would be the worst idea in the history of ideas to attempt to remakeThe Goonies, in my opinion. Why would you do that to yourself? It’s terrifying enough that a film I’ve directed is even being talked about in the same hemisphere as those films. So, no, I would not touch that with a barge pole.
What do you feel you’ve learned from other filmmakers that you’ve worked with, that you applied to directing your own film?
OYELOWO: Working with some really, truly amazing world-class directors is the only thing that really gave me the confidence to think that I could even remotely achieve the ability to direct, consistently watching some of these folks do what they do and sometimes working with them several times. I’ve worked with Ava DuVernay three or four times now and I’ve worked Lee Daniels a couple of times. I’ve worked with [Steven] Spielberg, I’ve worked with Chris Nolan, I’ve worked with Anthony Minghella, I’ve worked with Chris McQuarrie. I’ve worked with people who really do this at a very, very high level, but I’ve also worked with directors where the experience wasn’t so good and you learn as much from the bad experiences as the good ones. More than 20 years into my career now, I’ve treated all of those instances as my personal film school, as it were. That’s where I could even remotely get the confidence to undertake something as tricky as not just directing a film, but also directing a film that you’re in, as well.
When did you realize that your relationship with Oprah Winfrey, who produced this film, was going to be more than just a passing meeting, like often happens in this business?
OYELOWO: It’s funny, we played mother and son in Lee Daniels’ filmThe Butlerand she’s one of those people who elicits awe and excitement everywhere she goes. I just decided I wasn’t gonna be that person, so I actually ignored her for a lot of the shoot. I remember one day she said to me, “Are you ignoring me?” I said, “No, I just wanna leave you alone. Everyone seems to want a piece of you.” She said, “Come here!,” and that was the moment she decided we were gonna be friends. I don’t think she gets that from people a lot, willfully ignoring her. We just got into some very deep conversations, very quickly. She said something to me that has never left me, which is that she said, “I see in you what I saw in myself, 30 years ago.” I don’t even know where that came from, but I’m gonna take it. I think that’s why she continues to be an advocate of mine and an encourager of mine. She’s a mother figure in my life, unapologetically and unashamedly so. There are few better people on earth to have doing that for you, in your life, then her.
RELATED:‘The Water Man’: The Valuable Note David Oyelowo Got from Ava DuVernay for His Directing Debut
One of the things about working with young actors is that they approach things a bit differently than adults and I would imagine they’re in their head a little bit less about things. What did you learn from working with Lonnie Chavis? What do you think he brought to this role?
OYELOWO: You really picked up on it. He was incredibly trusting. The naivete and the wide-eyedness that you want from an 11-year-old he had, but he had that rare combination of also being incredibly technically proficient. He had the experience that meant that you weren’t having to train him in the minutia of acting from scratch, but he was open and humble enough to be taken down paths that he clearly hadn’t been down before, as an actor, all at the tender age of 11. That’s real needle in a haystack stuff. He is just such a rare talent. I would say the same for Amiah Miller, as well. If you didn’t have that in those two performers, there just simply wouldn’t be a movie, when it came to this story.
Did you screen this for any friends or family or filmmakers to get feedback from them? Is that something that you find scary to do?
OYELOWO: Oh, gosh, I think it’s foolhardy, especially if you have access to filmmakers, to not screen it for them. I had great help and feedback and advice from friends of mine, like Jordan Peele, Ava DuVernay, Will Gluck, George Clooney, and Charlize Theron. Those are people who all did me the generous favor of looking at the film and giving me their feedback. I also did friends and family screenings and was very rigorous with the complaints or criticisms that came up, time and again. Even though they’re hard to hear in the moment, I would much rather hear them like that, then from a broad and wide audience. So, yes, we did a fair bit of scrutinizing over the film, before we landed on what the world will see.
Your work inNightingalewas absolutely tremendous. What was it like crafting that one-man performance, and looking back on it now, does it feel like that experience trained you for how to survive during quarantine?
OYELOWO: What a great question. A bit like directing a film that you’re also in,Nightingalewas a dare that I made myself. I’m always looking for opportunities to scare myself and challenge myself.Nightingalewas definitely one of those.The Water Mandefinitely has been one of those. When I got that script, it was 85 pages of just one guy. That just should not have worked. It went on to be very successful and definitely one of the highlights of my career, thus far. But honestly, when we made it, we made it as a tiny little $300,000 independent film. We couldn’t have anticipated that it would go on to be on HBO and have all of this acclaim and accolades. It was more about daring myself. I think the most rewarding moments in my career have tended to have that element to them. It’s been feeling the fear and doing it anyway. That’s definitely how I felt, going intoThe Water Man, as well.
With the way that COVID has disrupted everybody’s schedules, do you know what’s up next for you, as an actor?
OYELOWO: Yeah, thankfully for me, I’ve actually been quite busy doing the pandemic. I did post forThe Water Man, which was very challenging. I produced and starred in a film calledSolitarythat Nate Parker directed and we shot that in Canada. I just did a film for Searchlight in London earlier this year, which is a murder mystery film with Saoirse Ronan and Sam Rockwell and Ruth Wilson, which is a really great cast. And I’m in the UK now, doing a limited series for HBO Max and the BBC calledThe Girl Before, which is based on a best-selling novel and is a four-part limited series. So, I’m staying busy and keeping the wolf from the door, as they say.
How was the experience of makingSolitary?
OYELOWO: I thoughtBirth of a Nationwas a transcendent piece of work. I thinkAmerican Skinis just so powerful. AndSolitary, the film that I’ve done with [Nate Parker] is about a guy who’s coming out of seven years of solitary confinement and is now trying to rebuild a life with his fiancé and the son that he’s barely ever met because of how long he’s been incarcerated. The film is really an indictment on that very inhumane practice of solitary confinement, but it’s all wrapped in the skin of a psychological thriller that Nate wrote and is directing, as well. I think it’s probably as challenging a role as I’ve ever played. It’s definitely up there withSelmaandNightingale, in terms of having to really just bury myself in a role. I loved working with Nate and on the film because he’s uncompromising, I think he’s a singular talent and he took me to places I’ve never been before.
Are you hoping to jump right back into directing, as soon as possible, or would you like to take your time finding that next right thing?
OYELOWO: Built into finding the thing I want to direct next is being patient because it’s such a big undertaking and it’s so time-consuming. You’re gonna watch that film more times than you care to admit. You’ve really gotta love the film to do that, especially as I’m blessed enough to have this day job of being an actor and producing films, as well. So, I’m not gonna jump impulsively into the next thing. It’s gotta be something that really speaks to me. But I definitely would like to keep intermittently jumping back into the director’s chair.
The Water Manis now playing in theaters.
KEEP READING:‘The Water Man’ Trailer Reveals David Oyelowo’s Dramatic Directorial Debut
