Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with The Water Man’s Lonnie Chavis

Lonnie Chavis is one of Hollywood’s brightest young stars. For five seasons, he’s tugged at our heartstrings in a little show you may have heard of called This Is Us, earning critical acclaim for his breakout performance as young Randall.

This May, he brings that same energy and poise to his feature film debut in The Water Man. Starring opposite David Oyelowo and Rosario Dawson, The Water Man follows a young boy named Gunner (Lonnie Chavis) who embarks on an adventure of a lifetime to save his ill mother by searching for a mythic figure said to have magical healing powers.

Pop Culturalist had the pleasure of speaking with Lonnie about his starring role in The Water Man.

PC: Tell us about The Water Man and your character in the film.
Lonnie: The Water Man follows my character Gunner. He’s moved to a new town and found out that his mom has leukemia. He learns about this urban legend in his town involving the Water Man. He has the ability to bring people back from the dead. He goes out on this dangerous quest because he loves his mom.

PC: What attracted you to this project?
Lonnie: When I got the script, I immediately wanted to go on this adventure in the woods of Oregon with all this magic. But when I dug deeper into the script with my mom, I realized that I really related to it. I would do anything for someone that I love, especially my mom. I know you would too!

PC: Fans will recognize you for your breakout role in This Is Us. How did that experience prepare you for The Water Man?
Lonnie: The Water Man is so different from anything that I’ve ever done. This role challenged me not only as an actor but also as a person.

PC: This is your big-screen debut. What was the atmosphere like on set?
Lonnie: It was great. Everybody was so kind and treated each other with respect. They treated each other how they wanted to be treated.

On the first day, we gathered in a prayer circle and we prayed. We were going to approach this film with love. That’s exactly what we did throughout the whole filming experience. Mr. David [Oyelowo] always made sure that I was in the right mindset the entire time. He always made sure that the scene was perfect.

You would think it would be hard for someone who’s acting and directing, especially with this being his directorial debut, but he had such a great grip on the whole situation. He knew where he wanted the camera angles. He knew everyone’s lines. He knew his lines. He knew what he wanted with the costumes and makeup. He managed everything so smoothly. He made it look like a walk in the park. He did everything flawlessly and patiently. He always treated everyone with kindness.

Working with Miss Rosario [Dawson] was so fun. Between every single take, we would laugh about the dumbest things. But as soon as they shouted “Action!” we went back into character. She’s a true professional and one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet in the industry.

PC: How similar or different are you to Gunner? How did you prepare to step into his shoes?
Lonnie: I see a lot of myself in Gunner. Like I was saying earlier, I would do anything for someone that I love. Gunner goes through all these dangerous situations for his mom. He crosses over a log that’s over a rushing river, and he can’t swim! He gets chased by horses. He’s on this steep edge, which he could fall from and harm himself. He goes on this huge adventure for his mom. I see that in myself.

I draw as well. I’m not familiar with the style that he uses, but they actually brought a graphic artist in to help me draw. I still use some of his tips today. It’s pretty cool.

PC: Do you have a favorite scene? Which was the most challenging?
Lonnie: There were a lot of funny ones. There’s a scene at the beginning where we’re eating dinner at the table. I’m reading a book under the dinner table. They brought us Chinese food, which is some of my favorite food. They brought out orange chicken, noodles, chicken fried rice. It was so good. We hadn’t eaten before that.

That’s also Miss Rosario’s favorite food. In between each take, we would continue eating, forgetting that it isn’t actually our lunch. [laughs] They had to bring in more food for us. They were like, “Can you guys slow down? You’re eating too much and too quickly.”

One of the most challenging scenes was the log scene. I had to face a lot of my own fears during filming. One of them is heights. That log was really, really high up. When I got up there, I felt my anxiety. My mom tried to calm me down. She couldn’t really do that though. [laughs] Mr. David stepped in and he reminded me why Gunner’s doing this. He got me in the right mindset. He made me forget about everything else outside of me. He made me realize why Gunner’s doing this.

PC: With the film out now, what do you hope audiences take away?
Lonnie: I hope audiences realize that they shouldn’t take time for granted. I hope that they see that love has no limits.

To keep up with Lonnie, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The Water Man is out in theaters now.

Photo Credit: Ben Cope