How David Oyelowo’s Wife Handles His Method Acting | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

there's so much to talk about in your. film work but I remember when you came. on my late night program for Selma for. your brilliant portrayal of uh of Martin. Luther King Jr and I remember we were. talking about it and then realizing. later on that you had been kind of. method when you did that role meaning. that you really wanted to inhabit which. you did so brilliantly and I think. there's no more difficult task if you're. I'm talking about you playing these. Shakespearean figures if you're playing.

someone from distant history you can. interpret but when you're playing. someone who lived uh you know. concurrently with our times died 1968. and there's all this footage you need to. create your. interpretation but it can't it it also. needs to ring true to all of us and I. thought you did that uh beautifully. thank and it was and it was you really. felt like you had to inhabit him all the. time and be in character how long did.

you do that for it was 3 months uh of of. the shoot and you know as you can tell. uh I have an English accent we were. shooting in. Atlanta and the worst thing about uh. being an actor especially playing that. kind of role is impostor syndrome you. you go well I am not him obviously but. you have all these people daily who you. feel the need to convince you are him. but the worst thing you can do I think. is as an actor is to be.

playing that room in a sense as opposed. to the film which is what people are. ultimately going to see so if I'm having. to convince the crew the extras my. fellow actors moment to moment that's. too many things it's already you know. the the margins for error are already. what they are so the way to take that. out of the equation I think is for. people to by and large just go oh that's.

not Dr King but that's David's version. of Dr King moving around the set so it's. not anroll camera action and it's like a. switch it's too much to kind of be. constantly doing no for you to be at at. the craft service table joking around. with the crew right and then uh okay you. know uh put down that pretzel and be and. it's time to we're going to be Dr Martin. Luther King now it seems like that would. be uh impossible it's also you know I. had so many speeches whether it be in a. church at a rally or whatever and there.

were people there because of the. locations we were shooting who had been. at marches with Dr King who had been in. churches with Dr King I mean John Lewis. visited the set one day and decided to. stay for one of my speeches I was like. dude please don't that really is doesn't. help me at all you're lovely and I love. you please leave. um so anytime you do any gesture I can. just pick done this.

nope wrong can you imagine he was. lactose. intolerant didn't like almonds either. put the almonds down it's too much it's. literally too much uh and so the the way. I oxidize that is to just kind of be in. a what I would call King light you know. where it's it's always there so that the. extras aren't suddenly going oh look at. look at that trick he's doing you know. you're trying to not Act is is the.

reality and the best way to do that is. to just be and so if I'm being all the. time then hopefully that's what the C. camera is catching people don't realize. that this is for people in your life. friends I would think especially family. yeah if you're trying to. maintain a certain Persona or inhabit a. character for three months okay that's. one thing on the set but what happens. when you go home yeah it's a nightmare. it's it's it's it's it's a it's a.

nightmare particularly for my my wife at. at the time we were doing Selma we had. also just moved into a new home and I I. remember her calling me um to discuss. curtain colors. and I Lally went well I think uh the. gray and she went okay stop stop stop. stop I am not discussing curtains with. Dr King I I absolutely I draw the line.

then we will pick this up after the film. thank you very much the the other the. other awful thing is I have a dream of. venetian blind I know I know I know she. was like stop stop um time out time out. did you ever ask her to call back as his. wife I should have done that I should. have done that no but what she what also. happened was I put on about 40 lb to to. play Dr King and you know he had or I.

should say I had as him what you know. can only be described as man boobs um. and my my wife was incredibly tolerant. of this you know I I had you know I. wasn't the in the shape I I normally uh. pride myself and being in and uh the day. that this thing wrapped she came up to. me jiggled my Mambo.

and said so what are we doing what are. we. doing I was like oh my. Lord like give me a. second I mean what are we doing here. what are we doing what are we doing with. it speed. bag literally. literally yeah but they they would have.

been very good speed BS um but but yeah. I was like okay I guess my grace period. is over I will say this though for you. David at least you had that excuse. because I step out of the shower and I. can't say Noah I'm playing Orson Wells. at the end of his life right you know or. my skin has been artificially freckled. in a most horrifying way because I'm. playing a striped bass in a movie.

there's no there's no way for me to go. it's like I'm going to play Conan in the. Conan story there's no you're just stuck. I'm stuck stuck there is nowhere else to. go.