Want more movie news?
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What do you remember about when Malcolm approached you saying he wanted to make this movie?
Let’s just go!
(L-R) John David Washington, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Potts, and Ray Fisher in ‘The Piano Lesson’.David Lee/Netflix
[Laughs] I’ve been waiting on you to do your first feature for a long time now.
But then I was like, no, he has a process, so I wanted to respect that.
In a great way.
John David Washington in ‘The Piano Lesson’.David Lee/Netflix
Which was the point, which is what I wanted.
It was about the play for me.
That was the mandate: I wanted to do the play.
Danielle Deadwyler and John David Washington in ‘The Piano Lesson’.David Lee/Netflix
This meant so much to me.
I’ve heard wise people say, OGs say, that theater is the actor’s medium.
Viola [Davis] has been up there.
(L-R) Ray Fisher, Malcolm Washington, and John David Washington on the set of ‘The Piano Lesson’.Katia Washington/Netflix
James Earl Jones has been up there.
Courtney Vance has been up there.
We got all these Wilsonians who’ve done this before.
John David Washington and Skylar Smith in ‘The Piano Lesson’.Netflix
And it was this piece specifically.
How has your relationship with Boy Willie evolved?
It’s evolved into a happy sort of ending or happy story for Boy Willie.
It was such an interesting thing.
So it’s like I took the Hill District in Pittsburgh to Indonesia it was insane.
How did your performance change or benefit from it being something more cinematic versus stage?
Well, the responsibilities were different.
For the movie, I really leaned heavily on behavior.
It wasn’t how I was saying the lines as much that wasn’t as important.
I got to ensure I hit my marks; that’s how it was staged.
The film was Cassavetes-style Faces,Opening Night.
It was more naturalistic.
I got to focus on listening, and listening would dictate my behavior.
My intentions were similar from the stage to the film.
I’ll never forget that day.
I don’t think the scene would’ve gone that way.
It was insane what happened.
And then, obviously, Danielle just went to a whole other world.
The both of them together, they went somewhere else.
In the film, you’re connecting to the behavior it’s not necessarily what they’re saying.
So, the onus is on the actor, and the film brilliantly depicts and captures Berniece’s perspective.
Katia Washington/Netflix
As I understand it, you were also ad-libbing some.
Malcolm said, “Can you feel that?
That’s your family, that’s your blood,” which became the tagline, was all you.
Is that also, I suppose, the benefit of film?
[Laughs] I would’ve never in my lifetime done anything like that on stage.
Are you kidding me?
My career would’ve been over, even with a good review.
You don’t ad-lib Shakespeare, you don’t ad-lib August Wilson.
On stage, wetalkabout selling watermelons to white folks; you get toseeit in the movie.
And that day was incredible I was ad-libbing all kinds of stuff.
That was one of my favorite days, to be honest.
We have so much more freedom let’s go for it.
When I spoke with Malcolm, he said that things “definitely got emotional working with you.”
Did you feel that too?
I saw a man.
He’s not my little brother.
This is a man who was born to do this.
I saw a man step into his powers.
That’s what it was for me.
[Laughs]
This film is now going to be part of the Washington family legacy.
Why is it such an important and personal piece for all of you?
That’s what he was excited about.
It was more about what you could relate to, the family dynamics, whose side are you on.
It wasn’t necessarily about the African American experience; you weren’t excluded.
you’re able to definitely relate to these issues as far as the heirloom.
I take great pride in being able to be a part of that and share it with everybody.
I’m wearing it now, my uncle Woodson’s chain.
I dedicated this performance to him.
He was a man that could cut your grass, fix anything in your house.
He was an all-you-can-do, all-you-can-be man.
I got this [chain when he passed].
And [I got] the ability of storytelling, the artistry that I’m in.
My parents are artists.
My father, obviously you know what he does.
So they’re artists first, and they’ve given me the love for it.
I took it from them, and I love it and it’s my identity.
