David Oyelowo On Hitting The Western Trail And Making History In ‘Lawmen: Bass Reeves’, Plus How He Made His Childhood Dream Come True – The Actor’s Side

The Actor’s Side is back, just in time for a whole new season with lots of contenders in the race for Emmys.

Starting off this week is none other than David Oyelowo, who is coming off a Golden Globe nomination and is Emmy-buzzed for his starring role in Lawmen: Bass Reeves, a limited series on Paramount+ about the legendary lawman who rose from being a slave in the Civil War all the way to becoming the first Black deputy U.S. Marshal in history.

RELATED: ‘Lawmen: Bass Reeves’ Becomes The Year’s Most-Watched Series Premiere For Paramount+

In this episode, Oyelowo tells me what drew him to playing the role, as well as spending a decade trying to get the show made — he also is a producer on it — and why he felt telling this unsung story was important right now. He also talks about being a 6-year-old kid with dreams of sitting on a white horse as it rears up, an image that, as it turns out, was what Paramount had on all its billboards and ads for the series. He also discusses all the training that went into being a realistic lawman working in Indian Territory, just how good he got to be with guns and horses and everything that went into it.

RELATED: See ‘Bass Reeves’ Star David Oyelowo Explain Why Blair Underwood’s ‘L.A. Law’ Turn Made Possible An Actor’s Life: The Film That Lit My Fuse

Oyelowo also talks about his early days in the British theater, as well as his movie career — which, like Bass Reeves, had several roles in which he got to delve into American history including The Butler, Lincoln and as Dr. Martin Luther King in Selma, for which he won high critical praise.

To watch our conversation and hear “the actor’s side” of things from David Oyelowo, just click on the link above.

Join me every Wednesday for another edition of The Actor’s Side.