TORONTO — August Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson” is deeply concerned with lineage and legacy, which makes it all the more fitting that the new film adaptation, produced by Denzel Washington and directed by his son Malcolm, is a family affair.
“The Piano Lesson,” which premiered Tuesday at the Toronto International Film Festival, is the third in Washington’s ongoing project to bring Wilson’s plays to the screen. It follows “Fences” and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and, like those films, features several strong performances, including Danielle Deadwyler as Bernice and John David Washington as Bernice’s brother Boy Willie, Malcolm’s older brother.
In 1930s Pittsburgh, Boy Willie arrives at his sister’s home with a plan to sell a family heirloom, a piano that their ancestors stole from their slave master. In the tortured family drama that follows, Berniece, Boy Willie and others grapple with the horrifying shadow of slavery and the burden of family legacy.
“There’s a lot of legacy tied to it,” says Malcolm Washington. “I feel like when you’re in a position to make a film like this it’s our duty to honor it and preserve it. We’re here because a lot of people struggled, sacrificed and worked to give the next generation an opportunity. This film and its story, ultimately, is bigger than just my family.”
Malcolm, 33, sat down with his older brother and Deadwyler just hours before the premiere of “The Piano Lesson,” which Netflix will release Nov. 8 and stream Nov. 22. As the interview was wrapping up, Denzel Washington barged into the room.
“It actually all started with me,” Denzel joked, while the other three laughed. “Then I had two sons, and the next thing I knew I was unemployed!”
Denzel, along with his producing partner Todd Black, said it was his son’s idea that he could direct “The Piano Lesson.” The 2022 Broadway production featured Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize winner with most of the cast, including John David.
“Malcolm said he had a take,” Denzel recalls. “He said, ‘Let me put something together.’ So he made a little movie. I looked at it like, ‘Wow, okay. You want to make a movie? That’s great, make a movie.’”
Yet Malcolm did not do so immediately. He told his father: “Let me see the film first.” He began working on a treatment and eventually wrote the script with Virgil Williams.
“At first I was like, ‘Will you watch the movie?’ But now I understand,” Denzel says. “He’s a true filmmaker. He took his time, and he didn’t just jump in.”
While John David, 40, the star of “BlacKkKlansman” and “Tenet,” has established himself in his own right in Hollywood, Malcolm, an alumnus of the American Film Institute’s directing program, is just now trying to break into the spotlight. “He knew what he wanted,” Black says. “And he wasn’t afraid to reach out to people who knew more than him.”
During the production of “The Piano Lesson,” Denzel largely kept his distance to allow Malcolm to work. Still, his passion for Wilson’s plays pervaded throughout the production.
“He’s a huge fan of August Wilson, and telling August’s stories is an important part of his legacy,” Malcolm says. “His main point with all of us was to keep us focused on this: We’re here to honor one of our greats.”
“The Piano Lesson” is a Washington family production in other ways, too. Pauletta Washington, Malcolm and John David’s mother, plays Mama Ola. The film is dedicated to their mother.
“I started with a very clear idea that this was about fathers and sons,” Malcolm says. “When we were shooting, I really started to understand this mother-daughter story, and my mom is an inspiration to me. I’ve always seen my mom connected to Bernice’s story.”
Malcolm’s sisters are also involved. Olivia Washington plays Mama Ola, while Katia Washington is the executive producer. Ironically, their father, Denzel, is almost the only person in the family who is not in the film. But Malcolm wanted all family members to be featured in the film in some way, so he asked his father to participate with a brief voice recording.
“Am I involved in this?” Denzel says. “I recorded something. I didn’t get credited. Did I get credited? I think not!”
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