David Oyelowo 'The Water Man' Interview

On July 9, 2021, Netflix will premiere David Oyelowo's directorial debut, 'The Water Man' based on a screenplay by Emma Needell.

Starring Lonnie Chavis, Rosario Dawson and Oyelowo, the drama follows the intriguing story of an African-American teenage boy who embarks on a quest to find the mythical Water Man in a bid to find a permanent cure for his mother's cancer.

In an exclusive interview with Pulse, the first time director shared some insights on his experience on and offscreen as well as what first struck him about the Needell scripted story.

Recalling the experience, Oyelowo revealed that it was both rewarding and challenging. "Directing on its own is a challenging undertaking with the sheer amount of things you have to focus on. But to be in it as well, to be honest, one of the things I was most fearful of was if my performance was going to not be very good because I was distracted. Thankfully, I had great people around me to give me their opinions on everything that was going on.

"The other thing was that I got great advice from the other people who had done it from Ned Parker, Angelina Jolie, Mel Gibson, these are all people I thankfully have relationships with as friends and I was able to talk to."

Speaking on why he chose to direct the film, the star actor revealed that the story felt nostalgic, reminding him of the kind of movies he enjoyed as a child. Citing his all time favourite movie, he revealed that he felt represented emotionally but not in terms of his skin.

ALSO READ: Oluseyi Asurf announces 2nd feature film 'Trois Plats Froids à Abidjan'

"When I came across 'The Water Man', I felt like it was an opportunity to do to make a film that is evocative of ET but with a black family at the centre of it. So that was why I was very passionate about making the film."

Watch the full interview: