With “The Piano Lesson,” John David Washington had the rare acting opportunity to interpret August Wilson’s classic text for the stage in Broadway’s 2022 revival and now again in Netflix’s new feature adaptation, due Nov. 22.
Speaking with TheWrap as part of our TIFF 2024 interview and photo studio, Washington shared that playing Boy Willie on both stage and screen was “a liberating experience.” It helped, too, that he was led behind the camera by his brother Malcolm Washington, who makes his feature film directorial debut with “The Piano Lesson.”
“[It was] a liberating experience, given my reverence and my respect for the our filmmaker, for our director, our leader — what he envisioned, how he wanted to open up this story cinematically,” John David told TheWrap.