“Five Nights in Maine” writer and director Maris Curran approached David Oyelowo at Sundance Film Festival and handed him the script for the film, saying she wrote the screenplay just for him.
That is something Oyelowo revealed in TheWrap’s interview studio at the Toronto International Film Festival, where he, Curran and co-star Rosie Perez stopped by for “Drinking With the Stars,” sponsored by teapigs.
“Literally, I just saw this beautiful face approach me through a crowd and she said, ‘I brought this for you’ and handed me a script,” Oyelowo said of Curran. “I was like, ‘oh my goodness, did Cameron Diaz just give me a script?’ That’s what it felt like.”
“I went to my hotel room that night and thought, I’d just read the first few pages — and I just was completely gripped by it,” Oyelowo continued.
In the same interview, Oyelowo said he prefers female directors — in fact, he said he’s got five upcoming projects directed by women: “Queen of Katwe” by Mira Nair is in post-production; he’s prepping “A United Kingdom” directed by Amma Assante; and he said he’ll be working with ‘Selma’ helmer Ava DuVernay again soon as well. This, he said, is a factor is determining his choices as an actor and producer.
