David Oyelowo & Storm Reid Talk About The Film, "Don't Let Go"
After Detective Jack Radcliff's (David Oyelowo) family appears to be victim of a mysterious murder, he receives a startling phone call from his niece (Storm Reid), seemingly from the past. Now Jack must race to unravel a mystery to prevent a death that has already happened. Oyelowo and Reid joined BUILD.
Video Transcript
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RICKY CAMILLERI: Thanks, everybody. Welcome to "Build." I'm your host, Ricky Camilleri, and our next guest is easily one of the best actors working in movies and TV right now. Of course I'm talking about David Oyelowo, and he stars in "Don't Let Go." He also produces it. It's a supernatural tale of an uncle trying to save his family from a death he knows is coming. Let's take a look.
- Hey, Ashley.
- Hey, Uncle Jack.
DAVID OYELOWO: You know, the best thing about your dad being such a screw up is I get to spend time with my favorite niece. Hey, Ash.
- Can you hear me? I'm not--
- Ashley?
- Uncle Jack!
- Ashley?
- No!
- Ashley? No, god.
- I'm so sorry, Jack.
- Tell me this isn't happening.
- I prayed for a second chance to leave her. Who is this?
- Who do you think it is?
- Where are you calling from?
- I'm at my house in my bedroom.
- What's the date today?
- It's June 25.
- Believe it or not, I'm sitting right here two weeks in the future.
- I-- I don't understand.
- There's a crime that, in your time, hasn't yet happened. Your dad's going to die. Your mom is going to die. And so are you. But as long as you're alive, you can change things.
- Two days to live? What's that?
- Just reconstructing the timeline.
- Who did it?
- We don't know that yet.
- There's people here. There's a white car.
- Ashley, turn around and go.
- Jack, tell me what's going on.
- Uncle Jack!
- You're not gonna die. I'm not gonna let that happen.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Everybody please put your hands together for David Oyelowo. Let's hear it. Sir, thank you so much for being here.
DAVID OYELOWO: Pleasure.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Congratulations on the film. You are a producer of this film. And would you say-- and would I be wrong, and I'm OK with being wrong, in saying that this is really your first venture into genre filmmaking? Although I will say your performances are grounded far beyond genre within this film.
DAVID OYELOWO: As a producer, yes. You know, I've done other--
RICKY CAMILLERI: I guess "Gringo" is fairly--
DAVID OYELOWO: Yeah. "Gringo," "Jack Reacher," "Interstellar." You know, I've done films that I guess one would deem genre. I've done more, or I'm more known for historical pieces, films of that nature. But as a producer, yes. This is a departure, and one I hope to continue in.
RICKY CAMILLERI: What was it about this script and this director that made you want to jump on, not just as an actor but, as a producer?
DAVID OYELOWO: Well, obviously there were, like you say, genre elements that I loved. But the thing that really drew me to it, you know, as a father of four kids myself, as someone who is very protective over them, just this idea of a character who would do anything they can to protect someone they love.
They would even try to reach through time to protect their niece. And that just really resonated with me as a concept. Because, you know, anyone who loves anyone knows how much you would do to try and keep them safe.
RICKY CAMILLERI: When you're working with a young actress like Storm Reid, do you feel protective over their performance as well, or do you generally see where they're coming from and see how much they have it, and you can kind of back off or step in when you need it as a producer and as a scene partner?
DAVID OYELOWO: Well, you know, I have kids who are Storm's age, so that absolutely played into my thinking. Not only that, but I went to visit the set of "A Wrinkle in Time," in which Storm played the lead and my good friend Ava Duvernay was directing that film.
So I went to visit the set, and I got to watch Storm doing her thing, and I just was so taken aback by her maturity, her emotional intelligence, and her talent. And it was actually when I visited that set I thought, wow, she could be great for this film, which we were in the process of putting together.
And having thought that, having been one of the people who championed her for the film, you know, yes, I was very protective of her during the process. But the truth of the matter is, she didn't need me at all. She's an unbelievable pro and a true, true talent.
RICKY CAMILLERI: When you-- what leads you to decide to produce something rather than maybe just star in it? Because in some ways, you could have gotten the script and maybe you could have handed it off to another producer and said, if you're interested in producing this, I'll be in it. But deciding to produce yourself means that you're doing even more work. So what is it about this material that made you want to jump in?
DAVID OYELOWO: Well, producing, for me, is born out of the fact that, for me as a person, I am very interested in underrepresented voices and seeing people in front of and behind the screen that we see less of. And so when this script came my way, it wasn't written as an African American family. It was actually set in Ohio on a farm with white characters.
And I just loved the concept. I loved the framework and the characters, and could easily see how that could be transposed onto any cultural experience. And so when I came on board of the film, I wanted to not just sort of, you know, dump myself on a farm in Ohio, which I didn't really-- I couldn't really get my head around that being me in that context.
And so we decided to move the story to Los Angeles and South Central Los Angeles. And that has its own cultural specificity, but it's also its own universality. And that's one of the things that I'm always looking for, is where, you know, you can find the universal in the specific.
It doesn't mean that, because I play that role, it suddenly has to become a film about race. But there are things that, because I'm playing an African American, because Storm is my niece, there's a specificity that needs to be in there, and I think you need someone part of the process who is cognizant of that.
RICKY CAMILLERI: And also setting a film in South Central LA, where crime is not the sole component or idea at all, you are now subverting expectations on that neighborhood and presenting a more realistic view, even though it's a supernatural sci-fi movie, a more realistic view of that world.
DAVID OYELOWO: And a more authentic view of that world. You know, so much of what film is capable of doing is breaking down prejudice, breaking down preconception. And to do with a genre of film that, you know, that's not its primary objective, I think, you know, is culturally something worth doing.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Do you think that-- I don't want to ask if you have a responsibility. It's clearly something that you're interested and engaged in. Do you think that, over the course of the last 30, 40 years, really, in film, though, we've built up narrative ideas about certain people, about certain locations, certain cities that you are working to subvert in a lot of ways? Does that seem like something that you are really engaged in doing?
DAVID OYELOWO: It is. And I would say way beyond the last 30 to 40 years. Centuries, you know? But no, I understand the point you're making. But as someone of African descent as well, you know, that's another part of the world that has a lot of preconceptions that are worthy, and rightfully so, of being debunked.
And, you know, I-- yes. That is something that I'm interested in, because I've lived in those places. I am part of those cultures, and I know that some of the perception around them is untrue. And if I--
RICKY CAMILLERI: So much of that perception-- sorry, I don't mean to interrupt, but so much of that perception is formed based off of the stories that we're told in the movies and the TV shows that we've seen.
DAVID OYELOWO: Film and television is an incredibly powerful cultural tool. And in the wrong hands, it can do things that are not so great. And in the right hands, or in more responsible hands, it can be incredibly life affirming, redemptive, and, of course, entertaining.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Right. In the right hands or in the responsible hands, it can change perceptions and it can make perceptions sort of more open and better. And in the wrong hands, it can confirm biases and perpetuate problems.
DAVID OYELOWO: Absolutely. And prejudice.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Yeah. So how did you meet with Jacob, the director of this, Jacob Estes, right? Excuse me. When you met with him and your producer, do you come on and you talk about the script and rework the script a little bit, or are you kind of joining projects when, like, they're written, and they're ready to go, and you want to focus on the more technical side of producing?
DAVID OYELOWO: Well, him coming to me with this project is partly what, you know, segued into me being a producer. I was initially approached as an actor.
RICKY CAMILLERI: That's right. And you said [INAUDIBLE] Ohio to-- yeah.
DAVID OYELOWO: Yeah. And I just loved his perspective on it. But, you know, anytime you're doing a time travel movie, they are very tricky Rubik's cube-like things to work. And even though I loved the central premise, to make the time travel element feel like it had a logic to it still needed some development. And so he and I really rolled our sleeves up and started tackling that element whilst also casting the movie and continuing to work on the script.
RICKY CAMILLERI: When you're doing a time travel movie, do you-- you go into a scene, right? And I imagine there are a number of variables for which you can explore where your character is in that scene, or there is just, you can say, my character wants this in this moment. What is easier for you as an actor? What do you try to go into each scene doing?
DAVID OYELOWO: Well, it's a bit of both. As an actor who understands their whole arc, you have to understand this Rubik's cube of a film. And then scene to scene, you just play the emotion. You know, for my character in this, I want to do everything I can to save my niece.
This weird portal has opened up in the universe. That means I can do that, and all I'm concerned with is trying to help her help herself. Because the thing is as well, you know, in the film, Storm is playing a kind of 13, 14-year-old girl who isn't aware yet, initially, that this terrible tragedy is about to befall her.
I love her and I don't want her to know that either. So I'm trying to save her through time without letting her know this terrible thing is about to happen. And then there comes this moment when I have to let her know, which ramps everything up.
So you have the double thing of trying to be a responsible adult, trying to save your niece, and then trying to also be real with them under the circumstances. So you can't be playing the whole time and space continuum in each scene. You just go to play, let me try and help you as best as I can.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Yeah. There's a whole nick of time element to the film that adds a lot of suspense, and I loved that aspect, that he's sort of unwilling to tell her initially. But at the same time, needs to use her to help save her life.
What was it like doing those scenes? And so many of them are also over the phone, so how do you manage those scenes? Do you have Storm on set with you or do you kind of-- do you do them separately?
DAVID OYELOWO: Yeah. Storm and I made this pact early on that we were always going to be on set for each other's scenes. We spent a lot of the time apart from each other. But there is a connection we very clearly have. There's a real love between us as uncle and niece.
And if to do it purely on the phone was going to be another giant leap in terms of even getting the audience to feel that connection. So, you know, whenever she's doing a scene, yes, I'm on the phone, but I'm literally next door.
And between takes, we're seeing each other, we're communicating as to whether how much I need to give her, how much she needs to give me. And I think that shows in the film, the fact that it wasn't just this sort of very technical exercise of being on the phone.
RICKY CAMILLERI: It wasn't like, scripting next to the cameras?
DAVID OYELOWO: Exactly. Some random person who then--
RICKY CAMILLERI: Flatly reading out?
DAVID OYELOWO: Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, we always heard the other person's-- the other actor's voice acting with us as we were doing the scenes.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Have you ever had to do that as an actor? Like, do a long phone conversation with basically someone doing a very flat read with you off camera?
DAVID OYELOWO: Yes, and it's horrific.
RICKY CAMILLERI: How do you do it?
DAVID OYELOWO: But, you know, there's a reason why we're actors. It's because you've spent time learning a craft, understanding humanity, being able to portray that, and not everyone can do that. So, of course, it does make a difference.
I did do a film called "Nightingale" that was just me. And there were a lot of phone calls, and this guy had dissociative identity disorder. Sometimes he was on the phone with a real person, sometimes he wasn't. But I chose to never have anyone reading the lines with me, because I-- you know, this guy was kind of out there, so I wanted all these voices to be on his head. So that was kind of a completely different approach.
RICKY CAMILLERI: So if you had essentially, in "Nightingale," if you had been having one person read the lines to you and then not having it for the people who were not necessarily on the other line with you, you felt like there would've been a difference for the audience viewing it?
DAVID OYELOWO: Well, there would've been a difference for me, because that guy had seven different iterations of himself. He had multiple personalities. So in that film, I was having conversations with myself. I knew what the other person I had put on the other end of the phone was saying to me, but it was all me.
I mean, you know, this guy was mentally ill. So I didn't want the energy of someone else coming at me, because I thought maybe that would take away from some of, you know, the mental illness aspects of it.
RICKY CAMILLERI: When did you decide to become a producer?
DAVID OYELOWO: Producing was born out of necessity. You know, as a person who loves movies and grew up watching movies that didn't have enough people who look like me in them, I could either just continue to complain about it or try and do something about it.
And as I gained just enough notoriety as an actor, I realized that you can actually make things happen. You can work with directors and writers you like, develop stuff. And I never want to be that person who, if I've done work good enough, that you say to me, what do you want to do next, that I don't have 10 scripts ready for you.
And I literally do, always. And so it was it was born out of wanting to-- I just love storytelling. And if you are one of those people who sits by the phone, it's a very frustrating and unrewarding thing to do.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Without control. You have absolutely no control if you're living that existence as an actor.
DAVID OYELOWO: Absolutely. And if you're living that existence as an actor of color, where traditionally, I mean, things are definitely changing. But traditionally, you're not top of mind when it comes to narratives that are worthy of a theatrical run.
RICKY CAMILLERI: The family and the farm in Ohio.
DAVID OYELOWO: Exactly, exactly. And so amazing that a director like Jacob Estes thinks of me, even though it's not written as such. And that's happening a lot more now.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Can I ask, how did he initially respond when you proposed moving it to LA? Did he get it right away, or was it an idea that he needed, like, a little bit of time to come around on? And I don't mean that in a negative way. When you have written a script, your mind sets on something, and it does take time for ideas to filter in that are not necessarily years, or was he-- did he get that it was a great idea right away?
DAVID OYELOWO: You know, exactly as you say. Anyone who's had a particular idea for a while, and someone comes along with a radically different idea, it takes you a moment. But exactly as you say. Once we started looking at it and once we actually realized it actually opened this story up in unexpected ways, he was all about it.
And, you know, another film I did called "Gringo," it was exactly the same thing. That was written as a white character. And, you know, the minute I suggested it being a Nigerian immigrant, there were all these things that actually made the film feel less like other tropes we've seen in movies. Because--
RICKY CAMILLERI: That actually became my favorite part of that movie, was who your character was, how you played him, what you mined for laughs that were both-- that were celebrating who he was. I thought that was the most original, best part of that film as well.
DAVID OYELOWO: And that's what can happen when you have a male character and make it female, or, you you know, when you change things up, especially when they are done in the well trodden way. By having someone that we don't normally get to see do it, it goes in a direction and it actually then feels like an original kind of idea. You know, every story has already been told, but it's more about who gets to tell it and how. And that, I think, is what Jacob really responded to.
RICKY CAMILLERI: And what was it like working with Jason Blum?
DAVID OYELOWO: Oh, great. I mean, you know, his company Blumhouse, one of the best creative experiences I've had in my career has been on this film. Because, you know, the model, if you guys know, is that you make films that are relatively low budget.
In success, everyone sort of gets participants in the profits if it does well. But what it also means is that he gives his creatives real, genuine license to go and do what they love to do, which is to work on the script and make the film you want to make.
You know, so often with bigger studios, when there's more money at stake, there's a lot of micromanaging. There's a lot of you being under the spotlight because, you know, there's a lot more at stake. And we really got to cast it, you know, make the characters, the locations. There were just so many things we did with this movie that you wouldn't be able to do in a studio context, and that's what I really love working with him.
RICKY CAMILLERI: I oddly feel like you see that more and more now, even though it's been a problem, not necessarily a problem, in movies forever, but that micromanaging, that feeling of, like, wow, there are a lot of cooks in the kitchen on this big studio movie that I'm watching.
Some of these scenes do not have to be here, don't make sense. What's going on here? Which is so fascinating to me, because the movie industry has shrunk in this way where people want things that are more niche. Niche has become more universal, and things spread via word of mouth in a way. Have you noticed that as well, or do you feel that way as a creator?
DAVID OYELOWO: Absolutely. And, you know, the proof is in the pudding, as we said. I don't even know if that's an American saying. But--
RICKY CAMILLERI: We like pudding too.
DAVID OYELOWO: But yeah. You know, Jordan Peele, perfect example. You know, "Get Out" was done with Blumhouse, and then "Us" was a much bigger budget. But he did it the same way now with Blumhouse and Universal.
And so people are seeing that when you-- and this is what you're getting on streamers as well. Some of the best stuff I'm watching is on those platforms, because the creatives are being given a real license to go off and create, as opposed to being micromanaged.
And the audience is responding. The results are indisputable. And so I think there is more and more latitude and license for creatives to really go in there and be brave, which is why it's a wonderful time to be a producer, because you can genuinely go in there and make an impact, and have a real voice.
RICKY CAMILLERI: You're producing-- I believe you're producing the television adaptation of "Les Mis" that's coming up, right?
DAVID OYELOWO: Yes, that's been out.
RICKY CAMILLERI: That's been out. Excuse me. What prompted that? What made you want to produce that?
DAVID OYELOWO: It was a similar thing. You know, me getting to play Javert in "Les Mis" is not something that is the first thing you think. And so much historical inaccuracy and prejudice has created a world in which we think people of color did not have a prominent participation and presence in Europe in the 1700s, in the 1800s.
We weren't just subjugated slaves and broken down, browbeaten people. You know, we were generals, we were people who had prominent positions there. But history has been very unkind to people of color when it comes to the prominence we had in Europe, all around the world, even in Africa.
And so when I was approached about it, I said, look. If I'm going to do this. I don't want to be the only one. I'm not going to be the token black guy in "Les Miserables." We have to have that be something that spreads through all of the casting. And they said, OK, great. Help us with that.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Right from the producer now.
DAVID OYELOWO: Yeah, exactly. And they were the ones who said, OK, come and produce this with us. Keep us honest, keep us accountable. You know, which I did in ways to do with that, but also the creative and the eventual distribution of the show.
RICKY CAMILLERI: You know, you said at one point in this interview that you love movies and you love storytelling. I'm curious if you remember the first movie that you really had that was a really eye opening experience for you growing up. Like, oh, there's a director behind this, or oh, movies can be this. Finally sort of recognizing what a movie can be or being transported.
DAVID OYELOWO: Yeah. Well, my earliest memory of watching a movie, and it actually wasn't for those sort of more grand reasons. It was that my dad took to see "Superman," and I was, I think, about five or six. And literally about five minutes into the movie, my dad fell asleep and started snoring incredibly loudly.
So all I remember is just being mortified, and just going, oh, no. Everyone-- my dad's ruining the movie. I'm so sorry. So, you know, that was my very first experience of film, my dad being completely disinterested. But apart from that, you know, one of my formative experiences watching a film was seeing Daniel Day Lewis in "My Left Foot" and just finding out after the fact that he was an able-bodied actor.
I just couldn't believe that an actor could be that convincing at playing someone so disabled and so well. He is the gold standard for me. That performance is the gold standard, and that was the moment I really sort of became fascinated by the idea of embodying other people, you know, in film.
RICKY CAMILLERI: He's obviously, you know, the best actor there really is. But one of the things that I love about Daniel Day Lewis is that even within his great performances, there's like, a twinkle in the eye. There's a wink that he kind of has a sense of humor behind a lot of them.
Not necessarily with "My Left Foot," but his last performance in "Phantom Thread," or even in "Gangs of New York." He is having fun as an actor, even though he's known as being very serious and committed. You get a sense of that fun on screen.
DAVID OYELOWO: Well, you know, this is a-- it is literally the best job in the world. I mean, if you get to do it. That's why so many people do want to get to do it, because you get to be a student of humanity and human beings, and you get to live out so many different iterations of what it is to be a human being if you have those opportunities.
And he has played some of the most extraordinary characters, from boxers, to people who are incapacitated, to the President of the United States, to-- you know, and I think he's just-- there is a joy he has at the fact that he's getting to do the thing that he was clearly born to do. And, you know, I feel that way. That, you know, it's just such a privilege to get to do it. And, you know, you can't be too upset when that's the case.
RICKY CAMILLERI: We have a question coming in from Twitter. This question is from Felix who is a huge fan of you and highly respects your work. And it is, what was it like working with the cast and series of "Planet of the Apes?"
DAVID OYELOWO: That was a weird one, because I did this film, "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," and Andy Serkis, particularly, who plays Caesar in that, would be in this-- basically this gray onesie looking like a giant baby, and he was playing this scary ape. And it was kind of ridiculous acting opposite him with this onesie with green dots all over him.
RICKY CAMILLERI: I've always wondered about that. Like, you see the clips of Benedict Cumberbatch doing that and everybody else. And you're just like, how do you guys do that? It looks so embarrassing.
DAVID OYELOWO: I know, I know, I know. But he's such a brilliant actor that the minute they called action, there was the ape. There was, you know, his performance in that was so, so brilliant. But in that film also, there's a moment where my character is in a helicopter, and the helicopter drops off the Golden Gate Bridge.
And it was on my first days of shooting, and they put me in this gimbel of a helicopter, and I had to sort of do this falling in a helicopter acting out while there was a camera in front of me that had to just pull away from me. And it just felt so stupid. I thought, there's no way this is going to look real. And I went to the movie theater, saw the scene, and I was worried for me when that thing happened. So it's so magical getting to do those kind of movies.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Does that become like, an example for you as an actor, that's like, just do what you're told sometimes? Like, they're figuring it out.
DAVID OYELOWO: Yeah, I've had both. I did a film that I will not name, because it was so terrible. But where we were-- I had to be reacting to big creatures. And what happens is, when you're filming those scenes, they have a stick with a tennis ball on the end of it, and you're kind of going, ahh! And then they put the thing in afterwards.
And you never know, is my reaction going to be too big, too small, I don't know what this creature is going to look like. And my reaction to this creature that they put in after it was so big in relation to the-- the creature kind of goes [GROWLS], and I go [SHRIEKS] like that. And I just think, OK. That was not good guidance. But when you work with the really, really good people, you're more safe.
RICKY CAMILLERI: But that doesn't make-- also make that much sense, because the CGI is done after your performance. They could--
DAVID OYELOWO: I know.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Do like, the CGI to match what they had you do on set.
DAVID OYELOWO: I am with you on that.
RICKY CAMILLERI: A couple of questions from the audience. Who has a question? Right here. Hey.
- Hello. Also a huge fan of your work.
DAVID OYELOWO: Thank you.
- I notice that you portrayed a lot of African Americans, which is obviously needed, because there is such a dearth of stories about black people in this country. But especially since you mention underrepresented stories, I'm just curious to know, are there any unsung heroes in Africa, or even blacks in Europe, like you mentioned, obviously have been there for a long time, that either you would love to portray or see someone make a film about?
DAVID OYELOWO: Oh, there's a huge amount of them. And, you know, there are shows I'm developing right now, both for television and film, that encompass historical heroes. Heroes, you know-- I mean-- there was an-- the Empire of Mali in the 1300s was still, to date, the most rich empire that has ever been, and people don't know about that story.
There are so many men and women who have done extraordinary things on that continent that went on to impact the lives we live now. And the truth of the matter is, it's not until now that is just opening up enough that we are having more of an internationalist point of view, to be able to pay those stories attention.
It's really weird, actually. "Black Panther" as a film was one of the first times I saw America and African Americans really sort of have a pride towards a narrative that was coming out of that continent. Bizarrely, it took sort of a fictional fantasy of what Africa is to do that.
But it's opened up in a way that I can see manifesting in the things that people are now paying attention to that I'm developing. So absolutely yes is the answer. And, you know, hopefully that'll be one of the next things I'll be here talking to you about.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Awesome. I think we have time for one more question. Right here. Hi.
- Hey. Hey, so you have a very well-known name in the industry and you have a lot of projects associated with your name. I was just wondering who or what inspires you when it comes to what you do.
DAVID OYELOWO: Thank you. Well, gosh. One of my heroes growing up was Sidney Poitier. I just-- I'm still astounded by what he achieved and the way he did it with the dignity that he did at the time he did. So he's someone who I hugely admire.
A big influence in my life now is a lady I consider a sister of mine, Ava Duvernay, who I've worked with a couple of times. And, you know, she is just someone who is so specific in what she wants to do. She knows herself very well and is unapologetic in doing just great work that others may not even dare to approach.
And I love her fearlessness. I also love her dignity in the midst of doing it. And I love her business brain as well, you know? So I'm so glad that I now don't have to look back to the '60s, you know, to have someone who I genuinely admire and aspire to be like. So, you know, those two will do for now, I think.
- Thank you.
RICKY CAMILLERI: David, "Don't Let Go" is a fantastic thriller. Congratulations, an incredible performance by you, and Storm Reed, and Brian Tyree Henry. It opens August 30, right?
DAVID OYELOWO: Yes, it does.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Everybody give David a huge round of applause for being Let's hear it.
DAVID OYELOWO: Thank you. Thank you very much.
