Debuting in theaters Friday, Nov. 8, the film adaptation of August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning family drama “The Piano Lesson” is a true family affair. Denzel Washington and eldest daughter Katia Washington are executive producers on the film, which was directed by his youngest son, Malcolm, and co-stars eldest son John David Washington. Family matriarch Pauletta Washington and Malcolm’s twin Olivia also make appearances as younger and older versions of the same character.
In a recent interview with “Extra” correspondent Mona Kosar Abdi, Denzel discussed working with his family and specifically about how his son Malcolm did on his first outing as a director of a feature film.
“Once he started, you know, calling ‘Action’ and here we go, like, here we go. Let’s see what he’s gonna do, you know,” said the patriarch and film legend. As it turned out, Malcolm was more than up to the task. “He was so prepared, there wasn’t a reason to be nervous on day one,” Denzel added.
John David, star of “The Piano Lesson,” agreed, saying, “I couldn’t choose a better leader to do it. I was excited how [Malcolm] saw the work, how he sees the words. He’s a brilliant man, my brother, and yet he’s so open and acquiescent to ideas and collaborations. So, I love that aspect of him and he definitely applied that to our working environment, so it was easy,” he continued. “I didn’t think of him like a brother, I thought of him more like what he is, which is a phenomenal director. So, it was easy in that regard because I’m just a fan of his work.”
However, it was the influence of another member of the Washington family that loomed large over the film; Denzel’s wife, actress and mother of four Pauletta Washington.
“She was on set with us, and Denzel would always say she’s the lead producer,” said co-executive producer. Todd Black, noting that the veteran actress is “a huge part of all four kids’ lives” and guides with “such care and guidance and a firm hand.”
Denzel had a slightly different take on his wife’s impact on son Malcolm, who dedicated “the film”The Piano Lesson” to her.
“Where’s dad?” joked the Oscar winner about the dedication, adding, “I was waiting — it’s gonna keep scrolling, there’s something else that’s coming up.”
He added, “He — and I say this with all the love, and he’ll tell you — [Malcolm] is a mama’s boy. He will sit in his mama’s lap now.”
For John David, the experience of working with his parents and siblings — along with Samuel L. Jackson, Danielle Deadwyler, Corey Hawkins, Ray Fisher, Stephan James, Erykah Badu and more — was beneficial as they worked to further another artistic legacy.
“We were in the foxhole all together,” he said. “[L]ike, we understand the traditions here, we understand the weight and the importance and how relevant August [Wilson] still is and our job is to shepherd that message, to keep it going.”
With this production, the Washington family legacy continues to grow, as well. “I understand and I respect and I take with me, the artists that both my parents are, the people that they were before they got together, the artists that they are, and I try to uphold that and infuse that in every project,” John David continued. “I come to the arts humble, hungry and hankering for knowledge. I just want to keep learning and keep growing and expanding the possibilities of what I can be.
“I think if I do that and attack it diligently, ferociously, unrelentingly, I think that is how I can uphold or sustain the legacy.”
“The Piano Lesson” is in select U.S. theaters now, and will be streaming on Netflix on Nov. 22.