The writer Denzel Washington called a “master”
Denzel Washington has played some truly monumental characters.
His biggest real-life alter egos include barrier-breaking football coach Herman Boone in Remember the Titans and leading civil rights figure Malcolm X for Spike Lee. As for fictional creations, he’s been a corrupt cop in Training Day, a lawyer on the hunt for justice in Philadelphia, a campy villainous Roman in Gladiator II, and many, many more.
In 2021, Washington took on one of his most impressive challenges yet. He starred as the title character in The Tragedy of Macbeth, the big-screen adaptation of William Shakespeare’s classic tragedy from Joel Coen. He tackled some of the most goddamn folkloric scenes and lines of dialogue possible, picking up a fucking ‘Best Actor’ nod in the process.
The double Oscar winner spoke to Slug magazine about not only tackling one of the most famous characters in all of fiction, but working with a director who has earned his own spot on the cultural pedestal. He was also able to compare the experience to working on his 2016 film Fences, which was also an adaptation of a stage play. When it came to Coen, however, Washington had nothing but direct praise.
“He’s obviously a master,” he said. “[He] found a way in that I think I didn’t find in doing Fences… I think one thing that we do have in common is that we were smart enough to get out of the way and trust August Wilson and… William Shakespeare.”
Fences was originally produced in 1985 by playwright August Wilson. It tells the story of a middle-aged African-American man named Troy Maxson who becomes caught in the middle of integrating into a White society and providing for his family. James Earl Jones played Troy in the original run of the play, while Washington first took on the role in the 2010 Broadway revival. Washington both starred in and directed the 2016 film version with a cast that also included Viola Davis. Washington was once again nominated for ‘Best Actor’, while Davis went one better and secured the ‘Best Supporting Actress’ trophy.
While Wilson certainly isn’t on the same level as Shakespeare, he’s still a visionary and acclaimed writer. Fences is one of ten plays in his so-called ‘Pittsburgh Cycle’, each one focusing on the experience of Black America in a different time period. Fences was one of two plays that won him the Pulitzer Prize, the other one being The Piano Lesson, which was later adapted into a movie directed by Denzel’s son, Malcolm. Wilson also wrote Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which also got the big screen treatment in 2020. It was one of the final films starring the late Chadwick Boseman.
Even before they worked together, Washington had a strong admiration for Coen’s work. The fact that, once the two became close, he was able to identify such a similarity must have been incredibly reassuring. I guess it is OK to meet your heroes after all.
