This film festival favourite is coming to a theatre near you.
Starting
Sterling K. Brown, Taylor Russell, Kelvin Harrison Jr.,
Director
Trey Edward Shults
Release date
November 22, 2019
More movie details →
The latest film from acclaimed independent filmmaker Trey Edward Shults (Krisha, It Comes at Night), the musical drama Waves made a gigantic impact on the festival circuit earlier this year, and it’s bound to be one of the most celebrated films of 2019. In this story told in two parts, we initially follow Tyler (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), an athlete with a seemingly perfect life, until he cracks under the pressure of his father and girlfriend, leading to an unforeseeable tragedy.
Taylor Russell plays his sister Emily, who, for the first half of the film, lingers in the background of Tyler’s journey. We get to meet her up close in the second half of the film, as it shifts to her perspective and she acts as a beacon of hope. “I mean, it’s so rare, especially for people of colour and young females, to get a role like this,” says the 25-year-old Vancouver-born actor. It’s a breakthrough performance that will definitely put Russell on everyone’s radar.
Can you tell us a bit about your character, Emily?
We meet Emily at that precious time of being a teenager, when you’re coming into your own and finding out who you are. You’re still a little bit awkward in your body, and you care so much about what people think about you. And because of what happens in her family, she becomes quite reclusive. She’s grieving and kind of reckoning with the truth of who she is, who her brother is and who her family is.
What was your first reaction to the script?
There are times when you get a project and you just connect immediately to the material. You feel like you have the same voice as a character. I felt that. The way [the script] was done, Trey synced up music to the entire thing. You’d press play beside a scene and then this music would play and you would read the scene and then you’d press the next play button and do that for the entire script. It was the coolest thing I’d ever read, just because it was so unique. And the story was just sweeping. I knew in that moment it was such a rare opportunity that I was like, “There’s no way I’m going to let this go.”
How was working with director Trey Edward Shults?
Trey is one of those directors who is really hands-of, in terms of letting you find your character and explore. He really lets you do your own thing and make mistakes, fall on your face and get back up, and just do it a bunch of times until it feels good. He’s not controlling too much, and that’s really rare. If you feel free as an actor, the world is at your fingertips, potentially. You can try so many different things and feel comfortable. And that’s the key, I think, to getting real moments and authentic relationships on screen.
Did any other films help inspire your process?
When we first got to Florida, it was just Lucas [Hedges] and I, and we were with Trey, Drew Daniels the cinematographer and the whole rest of the crew. Trey would be showing Punch-Drunk Love and The Master. So there were a lot of Paul Thomas Anderson influences, I know, for Trey. And Paul Thomas Anderson is one of my favourite filmmakers. Lucas and I watched the movie Like Crazy by Drake Doremus. We watched that as inspiration for our characters and the relationship.
What was it like to see the final product for the first time?
I was in shock. There was so much that got cut just because we shot an incredible amount of footage. I think there could have been three movies out of what we did with this movie. It was so different from what I thought it was going to be. I just didn’t know what message was going to come across. It blew my mind and was so much more epic than anything I could’ve thought of. I was so in awe of Trey after watching it and in awe of everybody in the movie. It doesn’t always happen where you’re like, “Wow, every single character is executed in a way that is admirable.” And I truly think every single actor in this movie did a fantastic job. Now I’m in a place where I’m so, so excited and want everybody to see it.
Looking for Drama.
Sometimes we all need a good cry. Waves is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, so you know it’s a quality emotional roller coaster.
