David Oyelowo talks ’96 Minutes’ and ‘The Butler’By Wilson Morales
April 25, 2012
Coming out this week is the independent film, ‘96 Minutes,’ starring Evan Ross, Brittany Snow, Christian Serratos, David Oyelowo, Elena Varela, Hosea Chanchez, Sharon Morris, Anna Enger, Sylvia Jefferies, Justin Martin, and Adam Trahan.
’96 Minutes’ is the harrowing story of four kids caught in the terrifying maelstrom of a carjacking. Intercutting between the car and the beginning of that day, we follow the separate stories of each kid — where they come from, who they are, and how they all ended up in one car on this fateful night. Their worlds are starkly divided along class lines, but their lives slam headlong into each other, becoming forever entwined, as they each struggle to survive the desperate reality they now share.
For Oyelowo, who plays Duane, the film is among a number of projects that will appear in theaters in 2012. Earlier this year, the British native starred along with Terrence Howard in the Tuskagee airmen film ‘Red Tails,’ and also starred in Ava DuVernay’s ‘Middle of Nowhere,’ which made its debut at Sundance Film Festival.
Upcoming projects for Oyelowo include ‘One Shot’ with Tom Cruise, Steven Spielberg‘s ‘Lincoln‘ with Daniel Day Lewis, and Lee Daniels‘s ‘The Butler‘ with Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey.
Blackfilm.com recently caught up with Oyelowo as he spoke about his role in ’96 Minutes’ and working with Lee Daniels on ‘The Butler.’
How would you describe Duane?
David Oyelowo: Duane represents the older voice among four characters that are together in one single night. He’s the parental voice that crosses path with these young people. He’s someone that defies expectation. He looks and speaks a certain way but is really the opposite and that’s why I signed on to this movie. I’m always looking for characters that would challenge your expectation.
How does it feel to be the voice of reason as an OG in the film?
DO: The fact that the director looked at me to play an OG from Atlanta and I’m always for opportunities to stretch myself as an actor. Coupled with a great script and a great role and an excellent director, she just seemed very smart and I loved her take on the movie. As I mentioned, to play a part that’s a hundred miles away from me was fascinating. I met a guy from Atlanta during the prep period and he was a perfect fit for what I had in my head and I shadowed him for a bit. That’s how I played Duane.
How was working with the person you shadowed?
DO: The person I shadowed was one of main sources of information. In my experience, there’s no substitute for being on the ground and being with actual people in a sense. In ’96 Minutes,’ it’s not like I’m playing an historical figure or a professional person where you have to go and study the nature of the work they do. This was a man in a place in time. He just did the human thing in the amount of time we see in the movie. Just being around people from Atlanta who are in a specific social economic state that was reflected in the script is what was most helpful for me.
How was working with this cast?
DO: That was one of the joys for me. I find that working with actors who are both hungry and have been afforded a new and exciting opportunity is always incredibly rewarding. The nature of this script and the nature of the characters that were given to these young people is not the kind of roles they get everyday. I’m sure the scripts they are most reading are gross out comedies, slasher horror, or silly films that have young people doing sex crazed parties and this film doesn’t do that. It’s actually about something. You also have actors who have a desire to tell something. For me, it was actually a delight to be on set with them because everyone’s work ethic was top notch and they had a desire to make the same movie. We had a great time shooting the film. Amy, our director, had a clear and specific vision. That’s always the key in making a good movie. If your captain knows where you are going, then chances are that you will get there.
As one of the few older actors on the set, where you a mentor to any or most on the set?
DO: I guess to a certain degree. It was less so on ‘Middle of Nowhere,’ where you have actors like Omari Hardwicke and Lorraine Toussaint and Emayatzy Corinealdi is new in a sense. It’s nice as a black actor whether you are working here or in the UK because I rarely get that opportunity. Often so, I’m usually token black guy in the movie or there didn’t seem to be much room for more young black actors. There’s this hideous myth that there can only be one when it comes to us. That was one of the joys of doing ‘Red Tails’ and ’96 Minutes’ and ‘Middle of Nowhere.’ I don’t like the phrase “black cinema” and almost balk at the word “black actor” because you are pigeonholing yourself in the industry. But the fact remains that if you have a film with a black cast, that’s how it will be defined. Having done films like the ones I just mentioned, I’m glad we all had the opportunity to shine together.
Is ‘The Butler’ with Lee Daniels definitely going to happen?
DO: Yes. It’s definitely happening. We start shooting in June in New Orleans. I can’t wait to start working with Forest Whitaker again. He’s just one of the best. Getting to play his son and Oprah Winfrey playing my mom, it will be a delight. We spoke a couple of weeks ago as a “family” and how exciting this film will be. I think people’s perception is that this film will be in the same vain as ‘The Help,’ but it isn’t. It’s not from a white actor’s perspective and it’s not about the lack of the domestic worker. It’s about the civil rights movement in the 20th century through the eyes of a man who was voiceless in the house of power and through eight presidents. I play his son who is a civil rights activists and he marches with (Martin Luther) King and is a freedom rider. It’s a sweeping film that charts the journey of black people through the 20th century.
What’s next?
DO: Between ’96 Minutes’, ‘One Shot,’ and ‘The Butler,’ I’m having a fairly good time at the moment.
