Donnie Emerson on Second Chances, Authenticity and Music

SAN DIEGO - Aug. 4, 2023 - PRLog -- Dreamin' Wild, the true story about what happened to singer/songwriter Donnie Emerson (played by Casey Affleck) and his family when the album he and his brother, Joe (played by Walton Goggins), recorded as teens was rediscovered after thirty years of obscurity and was suddenly hailed by music critics as a lost masterpiece. While the album's rediscovery brings hopes of second chances, it also brings long-buried emotions as Donnie, his wife Nancy (played by Zooey Deschanel) and father Don Sr. (played by Beau Bridges) come to terms with the past and their newly found fame.

We talked with the real Donnie Emerson and his wife Nancy, along with director Bill Pohlad to talk about family, this story being brought to screen and the powerful emotions we see surrounding second chances, hope and vulnerability expressed through missed expectations.

Family Entourage: I absolutely enjoyed getting to see Dreamin' Wild, and you know what a story. Donnie, let's start with you. Centrally, it's it obviously about you and your brother and your wife. So talk to me about Dreamin' Wild and kind of how it had a second chance at success.

Donnie Emerson: It's literally surreal, okay? It's surreal, Kelli. It's not… I've always known things were going to happen for me because I, that's how I was raised. That's how I am. Everything is, it's not by chance with me. There's no luck. I don't believe in luck. Never have. People say, "Oh, you're lucky." No, I'm not lucky. I've just… This is my life. You have your life and it's predestined. That's how I look at things. So, when this all happened, it was like, I'm so grateful, but I always felt it. I've always felt it in my whole life. I've always been this way, and I think that's… It's like when you see the film and you see this young boy, I have to look at myself that I was… Well, this is who I am and that's what I do. And my dad saw it in me, and so it's just carried on right now and I'm embracing this whole thing. Literally just… Yeah.

To watch or read our entire interview: https://familyentourage.com/second-chances-authenticity-m...