TORONTO (AP) 鈥� 鈥檚 鈥淭he Piano Lesson鈥� deals profoundly with ancestry and heritage, which makes it all the more fitting that the new film adaptation, produced by and directed by his son Malcolm, is a family affair.
鈥淭he Piano Lesson,鈥� which premiered Tuesday at the , is the third in Washington鈥檚 ongoing project to bring Wilson鈥檚 plays to the screen. It follows and and, like those films, features several powerhouse performances, including as Berniece and , Malcolm鈥檚 older brother, as Berniece's bother Boy Willie.
In 1930s Pittsburgh, Boy Willie has arrived at his sister鈥檚 home with plans to sell a family heirloom, a piano engraved by their ancestors who took it from their enslaver. In the tortured family drama that ensues, Berniece, Boy Willie and others (the cast includes Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Potts and Ray Fisher) wrestle with the haunting shadow of slavery and the weight of family legacy.
鈥淭here are so many legacies tied into this,鈥� says Malcolm Washington. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 part of our duty when you鈥檙e in the position to make a film like this to honor that and uphold it. We鈥檙e here because so many people fought and sacrificed and acted to give opportunity for the next generation. This film and the story of it, ultimately, is much bigger than my family.鈥�
Malcolm, 33, was sitting alongside his older brother and Deadwyler a few hours before the premiere of 鈥淭he Piano Lesson,鈥� which Netflix will release Nov. 8 before it streams Nov. 22. As the interview was wrapping up, Denzel Washington burst into the room.
鈥淚t really all started with me,鈥� Denzel jokingly declared as the other three howled with laughter. 鈥淭hen I had two sons, and the next thing I knew I was out of work!鈥�
Denzel, joined by his producing partner Todd Black, said it was his son鈥檚 idea that he might direct 鈥淭he Piano Lesson.鈥� A 2022 Broadway production had run of Wilson鈥檚 Pulitzer Prize-winner with much of the same cast, including John David.
鈥淢alcolm said he had a take,鈥� recalls Denzel. 鈥淗e said, 鈥楲et me put something together.鈥� So he made a little short. I looked at it like, 鈥榃hoa, OK. You want to make the movie? This is great, make the movie.鈥欌��
Yet Malcolm didn鈥檛 immediately go for it. He told his father: 鈥淟et me see if I see the movie first.鈥� He began working on a treatment and ultimately co-authored the script with Virgil Williams ( ).
鈥淎t first, I was like, 鈥楽ee the movie鈥�? But I get it now,鈥� says Denzel. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a real filmmaker. He took his time, and he didn鈥檛 just jump in.鈥�
While John David, the 40-year-old star of and has firmly established himself as his own leading man in Hollywood, Malcolm, an alum of the American Film Institute鈥檚 directing program, is just stepping into the spotlight. 鈥淗e knew what he wanted,鈥� says Black. 鈥淎nd he wasn鈥檛 afraid to reach out to people who knew more than he knew.鈥�
During the making of 鈥淭he Piano Lesson,鈥� Denzel largely kept his distance to let Malcolm work. Still, his passion for Wilson鈥檚 plays pervaded throughout the production.
鈥淗e鈥檚 such a fan of August Wilson and it鈥檚 such an important part of his legacy to continue telling August鈥檚 stories,鈥� Malcolm says. 鈥淗is main thing with all of us was to keep that focus: We鈥檙e here to honor one of our greats.鈥�
鈥淭he Piano Lesson鈥� is a Washington family production in other ways, too. Malcolm and John David鈥檚 mother, Pauletta Washington, plays the role of Mama Ola. The movie is dedicated to their mother.
鈥淚 started with a clear idea of this is about fathers and sons,鈥� Malcolm says. 鈥淎s we were shooting, I just really started to see this mother-daughter story, and my mom is such an inspiration for me. I always saw my mom as tied into the Berniece story.鈥�
Malcolm's sisters are also involved. Olivia Washington plays Mama Ola as a young woman, and Katia Washington is an executive producer. Ironically, their father, Denzel, is almost the only one in the family not in the movie. But Malcolm, wanting everyone in the family somehow represented within the film, asked his father to participate with a brief voice recording.
鈥淎m I in it?鈥� Denzel says. 鈥淚 recorded something. I didn鈥檛 get credit. Did I get credit? I don鈥檛 think so!鈥�
Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
