ComingSoon Editor-in-Chief Tyler Treese spoke with Dreamin’ Wild director Bill Pohlad and two of the real people the movie is based on, Donnie & Nancy Emerson, about the biographical drama movie. The film is now playing in theaters and is available digitally and through video-on-demand platforms.
“Dreamin’ Wild, the true story of love and redemption, is about what happened to singer/songwriter Donnie Emerson and his family when the album he and his brother recorded as teens was rediscovered after thirty years of obscurity and was suddenly hailed by music critics as a lost masterpiece,” reads the film‘s synopsis. “While the album’s rediscovery brings hopes of second chances, it also brings long-buried emotions as Donnie, his wife Nancy, brother Joe, and father Don Sr. come to terms with the past and their newly found fame.”
Tyler Treese: Bill, how did you first find out about Donnie and Joe Emerson? What about this story really struck you as the makings of a great film?
Bill Pohlad: A friend of mine, Jim Burke, brought it to me originally and passed on the New York Times article and various things. I read it and, obviously, was intrigued, but I didn’t really get into it until I met Donnie and Joe. It was them that drew me in, really, both to their story and their personalities. So getting to meet them was the turning point.
Donnie, you got this attention later in life that had to be crazy. What was your initial reaction when you heard that a film on your life was being made?
Donnie Emerson: Well, my brother Joe told me about Jim Burke first, and I was in a parking lot in a school waiting for my kids [Laughs]. And it kind of freaked me out. He said, “No, Jim Burke is the real deal, Donnie.” And it was kind of surreal, actually. The term just doesn’t … I can’t explain it. I mean, we’d been approached before, but not like this. So this was pretty amazing.
Nancy, Zooey Deschanel is fantastic in this movie. What did you think about her performance and seeing her portray you? Was that odd?
Nancy Emerson: No, it wasn’t as odd as it was exciting. When they said her name, I was at home when they said her name to me over the phone, and I knew who she was instantly because I was a fan of hers for years. Since she was 20 years old, I’ve been watching her. So no, I was very pleased. I’m thankful. I’m so thankful that she took the role and that Bill cast her and she’s pretty popular. So I’ve got a lot of my friends, a lot of family, a lot of fans saying how cool it is. [Laughs]. That energy’s awesome. So I’m happy.
Bill, this story takes place decades apart, and there are a lot of flashbacks. What was the biggest challenge in setting out this narrative as a movie and getting people invested in both the past and the present?
Bill Pohlad: Honestly, I followed Steven’s article a little bit and used that structure. I thought it was really interesting to go in the middle of their story to meet Donnie and go from the point where the story picks up at the rediscovery, then flashback to that period when he’s making the movie. It seemed like a great way to get into the character.
Donnie, Casey Affleck gives a really great performance here. What impressed you the most about his performance and seeing him play out parts of your life in the film here?
Donnie Emerson: Well, Casey’s easy to talk to. He’s easy to open up to, so that makes it really simple for me. I mean, he’s analyzing me all the time. When I did get to meet him in person — I got to know him through Zoom, but when he just showed up at my doorstep kind of unannounced but kind of announced as well, I knew that he was a serious guy. He was really going to dive into this role, and I’ve always loved his work. So it was a no-brainer to me to be involved with Casey.
Nancy, were you able to go on set much during production?
Nancy Emerson: Yeah, actually I was. It was controlled very professionally because there was a lot going on at the time. I was, and Bill was really cool because I would go on set and I’m very respectful because I have a theater background and just a little bit of film background of little things. So I’m very respectful and I would try to stay out of everybody’s way, but my heart was just pounding because everything I was watching on set were stories that Donnie had told me, pretty much. Then Bill’s taking his stories and putting them into another — it was amazing.
So it was really surreal, and Bill was really cool. He’d talk to me after or say, “I’m sorry I couldn’t talk to you yesterday,” in a text. I’m like, “Really?” [Laughs]. So it was fun. There are so many words I can say about it, but it’s all up here, you know? I’ll remember it forever.
Bill, what I really liked about the movie is you portray the whole family. We get to see the supportive father. How was it, showing the childhood? I think that really grounded the film and was a great anchor for it narratively.
Bill Pohlad: Finding Noah Jupe and Jack Dylan Grazer as the younger versions of Donnie and Joe obviously convinced me that it would be great to do. Sometimes those can come off badly if you don’t have great actors at that young age to portray the depth of the characters. So I think having Noah and Jack available to do it was the convincing part.
Donnie, what I found so fascinating about the film and, specifically, your arc in it is just grappling with that sudden success decades later. There’s a line that’s like, “This is what I wanted, but not exactly like this.” Dreamin’ Wild wasn’t really afraid to deal with the messiness and how you reacted to that. How was seeing that storyline play out on film? It’s very raw and emotional.
Donnie Emerson: Oh gosh. Well, I wasn’t on set that much. I was only on set a couple times. I was doing the music on my end, but I didn’t really think about it all that much. I just kind of went with the flow with the whole thing. I was comfortable with everybody doing what they were doing. Grappling with the music, the two paradigms, it’s a difficult thing. It was difficult. I still deal with it for the music I’m working on right now. But I’m blessed with Dreamin’ Wild, because Dreamin’ Wild has opened up so much for me. So no, it’s a hard thing to explain. It’s very difficult but exhilarating.
Nancy Emerson: I have to say something about you saying you relate to it. I read every fan letter, I’ve seen every review on YouTube, and I read as many articles as I can. There are people relating to this so much — it’s not an entertainment thing. The way they’re talking about this, they’re really relating to it. So when you said that, that’s what I’m hearing — especially a lot of men that have gone through this. So it’s amazing. And women too.