Interview:
Virgil Williams,
co-writer,
"The Piano Lesson"
Co-written by the Oscar-nominated Virgil Williams, The Piano Lesson represents the third adaptation of an August Wilson play produced by Denzel Washington following 2016's Fences and 2020's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. A family affair, The Piano Lesson features the actor's eldest son John David Washington in one of the leading roles and his youngest son Malcolm Washington making his directorial debut, having co-written the script with Virgil Williams. In 1936, Boy Willie Charles (John David Washington) and his friend Lymon (Justice League's Ray Fisher) travel from their home state of Mississippi to ostensibly sell watermelons in Pittsburgh, where his sister Berniece (Danielle Deadwyler) lives with their Uncle Doaker (Samuel L. Jackson). But the reason behind Boy Willie's unannounced quickly becomes clear to the annoyed Berniece: Boy Willie wants to sell the piano their father stole decades earlier from a former slave owner. Boy Willie needs money to buy land in Mississippi; Berniece wants to retain the piano because of its vital role in shaping and depicting recent family history. Their bickering is soon interrupted by a ghost of a man who died weeks earlier in Mississippi under mysterious circumstances. A ghost Berniece believes Boy Willie brought with him from Mississippi .... The Piano Lesson's cast also includes Broadway star Michael Potts as Doaker's brother Wining Boy Charles, Straight Outta Compton's Corey Hawkins as Berniece's suitor Preacher Avery Brown; and If Beale Street Could Talk's Stephan James as Berniece and Boy Willie's father Boy Charles. The Piano Lesson, which premiered locally during this year's Austin Film Festival, opened Nov. 8 in theaters and will begin streaming Nov. 22 on Netflix. Virgil Williams launched his career writing for the TV series 24, ER, and Criminal Minds. He received a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar nomination for co-writing the 2017 Netflix drama Mudbound. He also co-wrote the 2021 Denzel Washington-directed drama A Journal for Jordan. He recently rewrote the George Clinton untitled music biopic, with Eddie Murphy attached to star as the Parliament and Funkadelic frontman. Posted: Nov. 8, 2024. Web site: https://www.netflix.com/ |
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