Actor David Oyelowo on starring in upcoming drama, ‘Newborn’

[0:00] On any given day, more than 80,000 people are held in solitary confinement, [0:04] sometimes for months or years at a time. [0:07] The new film, Newborn, starring Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Emmy-nominated actor David Oyelowo, [0:13] who plays Chris Newborn, explores the psychological consequences of this form of extreme isolation [0:18] after his character is released from prison only to realize that freedom [0:22] has become a terrifying psychological battleground. [0:25] ABC's Rena Roy sat down with the actor. [0:27] I can't change the past, but I promise you I will never leave you again. [0:36] Thank you so much for being here tonight. [0:38] First of all, congratulations on this beautiful film. [0:41] Thank you. [0:41] I have to say it is deeply moving, very complex, and it tackles some really tough issues. [0:47] We're talking about the justice system in this country, the ethics of solitary confinement, [0:53] and the struggles of mental illness. [0:55] So I'm curious what the inspiration was behind this film. [0:58] Well, it was to try and find a way... [1:02] to tell the truth of those things you've talked about in a way that is relatable, [1:09] universal, and palatable, to be perfectly honest. [1:12] Solitary confinement is an incredibly debilitating truth of the judicial system here in America. [1:20] But the story that is often told is of the incarceration, not necessarily what happens after. [1:28] And Newborn is about Chris Newborn, who I play, [1:32] and what happens after he is released from that, as you say, mentally very debilitating reality, [1:40] and how he tries to reconnect with his family. [1:43] And to prep for this role, you really did a deep dive on solitary confinement, [1:50] learning about it, and even speaking with people who have experienced it. [1:54] So I'm curious what stayed with you and helped shape your performance. [1:59] Well, what stayed with me is... [2:02] the fact that you're never the same again, after you've been subjected to this. [2:07] Richard Rosario, who I shadowed and who I spent a lot of time talking to [2:13] about his experience of solitary confinement, he was wrongfully convicted, [2:16] obviously, of a crime that he didn't commit for 20 years, [2:20] and seven of those were spent in solitary confinement. [2:23] And a lot of my performance is based on the realities of what he told me. [2:29] But also, I was just deeply inspired by the fact that [2:31] his wife stuck with him for those 20 years, [2:34] and that was what gave him any modicum of hope, [2:37] any sort of light at the end of the tunnel, as it were. [2:40] And so our film is a psychological thriller, very much with a love story at the center of it, [2:46] between a man and a woman, but also between a father and a son. [2:50] And, you know, not everyone who is subjected to solitary confinement has hope [2:55] or has light at the end of the tunnel, but some do. [2:59] And that's certainly the case with the story we've done. [3:01] That's certainly the story we've chosen to tell. [3:03] And I understand that while you were taking on this role, [3:06] you actually were dealing with a loss in your personal life, [3:09] your father passing away the first day of filming. [3:13] Yeah, yeah. [3:14] I really struggled with the idea of doing the film [3:18] because my dad was dealing with stage four colon cancer at the time, [3:22] and we shot this in Canada, so it was going to mean being away from home in L.A., [3:27] and my dad was staying with us while he was, you know, in that state. [3:31] And I said to him, there's this film I'm passionate about doing, [3:35] but I simply cannot and will not do while you are dealing with what you're dealing with. [3:41] And he borderline forced me to do it because he knows how passionate I am about storytelling. [3:48] He knows that the things I tend to gravitate towards are not just pure entertainment. [3:53] They are also meaningful in some ways, certainly to me and I hope therefore the audience. [3:57] And so he was very adamant that I went and did it. [4:01] And unfortunately, you know, 2 a.m., [4:06] the day that we were supposed to start shooting before my 5 a.m. pickup, [4:11] I got the news, and yeah, I look at the film now, [4:15] and even I can see that there is something going on that was tied to that loss as well. [4:23] And it's what we would call, I guess, social commentary cinema. [4:27] So what do you hope the takeaway is when viewers watch this? [4:30] What do you hope that they feel? [4:32] I think everyone, if they're honest, deals with feelings of isolation. [4:37] I think we literally felt that in the recent pandemic. [4:40] But, you know, we all have these moments where we are, [4:44] you sort of feel trapped in your own mind, trapped in your own circumstances. [4:48] So I'm hoping people watch the film. [4:51] They're entertained by it because it's a roller coaster ride. [4:54] It's a psychological thriller. [4:56] But at the end of the day, I hope the thing that they leave with in their heart [5:00] is the fact that that connection is there. [5:02] That connection is what we are designed for as human beings. [5:05] And when there's a lack of it, it's really detrimental. [5:08] Yeah, that's really what it's all about. [5:10] And it was both entertaining and just so powerful. [5:12] David, thank you so much for joining us. [5:14] Newborn hits theaters on April 10th exclusively at AMC Theaters.