Coming out this week from A24 is Trey Edward Shults’ Waves, which stars Emmy-winner Sterling K. Brown, Tony Award winner Renée Elise Goldsberry, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Oscar-nominee Lucas Hedges, Taylor Russell, and Euphoria’s Alexa Demie.
Written by Shults, the film is set in South Florida, and traces the epic emotional journey of a suburban African-American family— led by a well-intentioned but domineering father—as they navigate love, forgiveness and coming together in the aftermath of a loss.
The future is bright for Tyler (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), who seems to have everything he needs: a wealthy family to support him, a spot on the high-school wrestling team, and a girlfriend (Alexa Demie) he’s head over heels in love with. Committed to greatness and under intense scrutiny from his father (Sterling K. Brown), Tyler spends his mornings and nights training. But when pushed to the limit, cracks in the perfect façade of Tyler’s existence start to show, and the stage is set for a true American tragedy.
For Brown, it’s chance to see the father side of him on the big screen. Having won an Emmy for Best Actor for his role as Randall on NBC’s This Is Us as well as an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his portrayal of prosecutor Christopher Darden in the first season of the FX anthology series American Crime Story, subtitled The People v. O. J. Simpson, Brown has been making more movies on his spare time from the show. Other film credits include Marshall, Black Panther, Hotel Artemis, The Predator, and The Angry Birds Movie 2. Upcoming projects a voice role in Frozen II and The Rhythm Section.
Blackfilm.com spoke exclusively with Brown on his role in Waves and his upcoming projects.
It’s not often you have the opportunity to do a film since you have a day job with the TV show. What was the attraction to doing this movie?
Sterling K. Brown: Because there’s been an interest and opportunity to do different things other than thing that people know me most for, which is playing Randall. I’m always intrigued to do something that sort of opens up the box of how people want to define me as an actor. And so I thought that Ronald from Waves was really, really different. He’s a father. He’s present in his children’s lives as is Randall but in a very, very different way. It was fun for me to step in someone else’s shoes and try to illuminate a different perspective on fatherhood.
It took some time. We would fly back and forth from Los Angeles to Florida on the weekends, shoot in Florida on the weekends and then fly back to shoot This Is Us during the week. It was exhausting, but it was also kind of exhilarating. I think this can get a bit of a bad rap. People use the term, “toxic masculinity” that they associate with them sometimes. I don’t really think of them in those terms. I think everybody does the best they know how to until they know how to do better. This is a man who lost his wife to a drug overdose; who had to raised his children for a period of time on his own until he’s found his second wife and love to share his life with, but he knows how fragile family is and I think that that causes him to hold on that much tighter. He’s a black man in Florida with a black son and recognizes just how how black men can be perceived in this world and wants to keep him safe. And more than just keep them safe, wants to make sure that people have no excuses for why they should or could write them off. So it’s hard, right? But he’s not hard just to be hard. He’s hard because he loves his boy. He knows he has enormous potential and wants to see him realize the fullness of that potential.
Having said that, and having seen the movie and there’s certain scenes in that movie where we can understand him as a father. Like any other father, they want the best for their children. How would you compare yourself to Ronald? What part of that character is you?
Sterling K. Brown: Every part of every character I play is me, to a certain extent. Randall is me. Ronald is me. Even my depiction of Chris Darden is me. But you know, you reach for different things. You had a voice here. I recognize specifically within me, that I see in Ronald a sense of competition. Someone who was raised with working to middle class parents, who tells you that you have to be twice to 10 times as good to get just as far. My mother had a strong emphasis on education and didn’t want anybody to look down on her children. She made sure that we tried to have behavior that was beyond reproach. Obviously, you fall short of the mark, but that was the expectation. I got two boys. I know that a football game or soccer game, I can get a bit vocal in terms of what I think he should or should not be doing. Then the place where where we are different is that my son has the space to be like, “Dad, I need you to be quiet.”
Just like This Is Us, you have this family here. I think this is the first time we see you on screen with a family. We see the chemistry that you have with the actors that are playing your family. How was it shooting the film with Renee and Kelvin, and Taylor?
Sterling K. Brown: We had a great time. Renee and I are the adults in the film and we would spend a lot of time with each other. She would be flying in from New York and I would be flying in from LA and we would hang out with each other for hours until we had to go shoot our scene. I think we had a really wonderful rapport going into the film. A mutual admiration for each other’s work as well. With Kelvin, it was really great because we got a chance to meet in Los Angeles before filming even began. I didn’t know whether or not I wanted to do the film and Trey thought it might be a good idea for Kelvin and I to have a conversation. But quite frankly, I was a little concerned over whether or not I want to be a part of a movie where a young black man was taking a young woman’s life; and if it was perpetuating a negative stereotype and one that I didn’t want to see or whether or not it was getting inside of the mind of a human being, and seeing how a good person can make a really treacherous turn that sort of destroys the rest of their life.
I really liked what Kelvin had to say, I was like, “This is this is shaky. I get that is the cool part but like once you do it, it doesn’t belong to you anymore. It’s going to belong to that audience and however they receive it. They are entitled to receive it as such.” He said, “I understand what you’re saying, and my dad has the same concerns. It’s a good part right? Should I not do it just because I’m black.” And I was like, “All right. I hear what you’re saying.” I recognize that my fears were reasons that I should do it rather than reasons why shouldn’t I do it because those same fears are probably what a Father would be feeling for his son in the situation. This sort of outcome would be the greatest fear of anything. Our first day down together right before shooting was me, Trey, Kelvin Taylor and Renee all went to dinner together and had a wonderful time, and laughed and talked about how we saw the film going, how we saw each other’s interaction fitting in and then the next day we shot our diner scene.
We actually had two diner scenes and one of them was cut from the film and then we have the scene in the church as well. So it was like a family day the first day of shooting for. I think Kelvin and Taylor had been shooting already, but it was nice. Actually, it was the first day of shooting for all of us. The family got established from the beginning. Then we went off and did our own things. Kelvin and I, or Renee and I or me and Taylor, but that first day of shooting helping to establish the family had residents throughout the rest of the shoot.
How do you best describe the movie with this title?
Sterling K. Brown: I try not to. Honestly, I feel the movie’s best experience is if we know as little about it as possible. I say it’s a family drama that focuses on the relationships of the children. I say this there’s a central event that happens which throws the family into turmoil. You see how they arrived at that point and you see how they try to recover from that point. You have to let it wash over you like the waves that it is because it’s a hard one to break down into a linear plotline. I find it best when people experience it without knowing too much about
In working with Trey, what did you pick up from him that you probably had not done already with another director and that you can take with you on to your next project?
Sterling K. Brown: I was sit behind video village where I would sit behind Trey’s monitor when I wasn’t shooting and I was looking to see what he was capturing in his frame. He doesn’t give a lot of direction. If he likes what you are doing, he says you’re doing great. Or if he can steer you in a slightly different direction, he’ll give a suggestion or a thought. It’s usually right on target. He gives actors space. He doesn’t feel compelled to getting into your face after every take and say something just to say something. He knows that if you let something breathe and give people the space to play and find things on their own, that he’s going to get to the result that he wants quicker than if he’s constantly trying to micromanage the process. I appreciate the space that he gave his actors to explore and find the authenticity of the moments that we were able to capture in the film.
You seem to be doing a lot more film lately. Has the show given you the freedom to do as much?
Sterling K. Brown: Yes. It has opened the door. To go from the OJ miniseries to This is Us put me in a new place to have choice and not hoping and waiting for people to answer phone calls or hoping for auditions. You have about four or five months so there’s a choice but has to be in a very specific window because I got a day job that lasts seven months out of the year. But starting the production company has been a really wonderful opportunity to explore a new skill to help develop projects. I’m excited about being able to be a story generator, and not just a story and interpreter, which is an actor’s primary and responsibility. It’s a new set of challenges, finding enough time in the day to be able to do all the things that you want to as effectively as you want to be able to do them. I make sure that as I take on things, I try to make sure that I still carve out space to maintain a bit of sanity as well.
How much fun did you have on Frozen II?
Sterling K. Brown: Chris (Buck) and Jennifer (Lee), are absolutely wonderful collaborators. Every time I got a chance to go in the booth, they would show me different illustrations or what they had animated so far. And just to stoke the actor’s enthusiasm for the project that they are being a part of. I’m a big fan of the first film. Josh Gad is a dear friend. Kristin Bell is amazing. I got a chance to hang out with Idina (Menzel). I’m happy to be a part of it. I’m happy a add a splash of color to it. I love for people of color to be able to see someone who is ostensibly of color in this world, recognizing that they belong in myth and fairy tale as well. And everything I’ve heard about the film is that it supersedes and exceeds what the first one first established six years ago.
Speaking about splashing color, you also have a role on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel coming up.
Sterling K. Brown: It has been one of the most delightful Jewish shows on TV for the past couple of seasons. It maintains and stays true to its roots, but yes, we get some blackness in there too. definitely gotta bring some new color over that to that show. Usually, when my character shows up, it gets real black. So stay tuned.
Any chance you will appear in BET’s First Wives Club?
Sterling K. Brown: Not in season one. They haven’t received a pick up for season two, but anything is possible. Being able to work with my wife would be a real joy. She’s come in and done a little bit on This Is Us and I would only be too happy to return the favor.
People are excited about this “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” movie you have coming with Kerry Washington. When do you plan to start shooting that film?
Sterling K. Brown: The script is still in development, but we’re aiming for the next hiatus. If we don’t get to where we want to by the next hiatus we’ll do it the hiatus after that. But sometime within the next year or two, but it’s got to be right right now. Right now, we have something that’s good. We got the blueprint, and now we’re just trying to fill it out and make sure it is as fully actualize as possible.
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