The 45-year-old producer, who also directs and stars in the drama, said he wanted to recreate Spielberg films like The Goonies because they ignited discussion in his family and “didn’t speak down” to viewers.
When asked about the origins of The Water Man, Oyelowo told Variety, “It had two beginnings.” For me, the first was that I grew up watching movies. Steven Spielberg’s films were among my favorites. The Goonies and Close Encounters of the Third Kind were two of my favorite movies.
“Stand by Me also had a huge impression on me when I was younger, and I loved that those films didn’t speak down to me and I didn’t feel patronized by them.”
“I also recall watching them with my friends, and they were not only adventurous and thrilling, but they also elicited conversations between me and my parents, which are priceless memories for me and my childhood,” the Selma star added.
“When my wife Jessica and I had kids, I realized there were fewer of those films around. I wondered why that was the case, and so I started looking for those projects and looking for those scripts. That was the track I was on.”
When he decided to appear in the film, Oyelowo discussed how he bonded with scriptwriter Emma Needell and how she convinced him to step behind the camera as well.
He remembered: “Emma had several offers at the time to make the film, but I think we connected over the fact that I grew up loving this kind of film and didn’t see people who look like me reflected in those kinds of films.
“I wanted to play the father in this film, which would instantaneously make this a family of color. Even though that’s now how it was written, she loved that idea, and that was what bonded us.
“With directing, it was something I had been contemplating, and it was Emma who turned to me and said, ‘I think you should be the one to direct this.’”
