Danielle Deadwyler didn't expect to cry.
The actress, who won praise in 2022 for her heartbreaking portrayal of civil rights advocate Mamie Till-Mobley in “Till,” was describing the emotional journey of her latest project, “The Piano Lesson,” when she suddenly leaned into one side in his chair. twisting his neck at an awkward angle.
“I don't want to mess up my makeup,” Deadwyler said, wiping away tears as she talked about the film's acknowledgment of the pain and trauma endured by her characters, descendants of slaves who lived in Depression-era Pittsburgh. “Throughout the whole making of this, there is tension. “For me, it's because of the enormous weight of black families that, in a way, falls on our shoulders.”
Deadwyler isn't the only one who is moved by “The Piano Lesson,” which begins its limited theatrical run on Friday before hitting Netflix on Nov. 22. Many critics have already given high marks to the latest in August Wilson's series of platform film adaptations. “Century Cycle” of plays, highlighting the triumphs and hardships African Americans faced in the 20th century, decade after decade.
Produced by Denzel Washington and Todd Black and featuring Washington's son John David Washington (“Black KkKlansman”), Samuel L. Jackson (“Pulp Fiction”) and Corey Hawkins (“In The Heights”) among its cast, “The Piano Lesson's” The credits are full of names in bold. But it is Deadwyler who has been singled out for her relentless portrayal of Berniece, a single mother caught in a tense and potentially violent battle with her brother Boy Willie (Washington) over the family's inherited piano, decorated with the haunting carvings of their ancestors. enslaved.
The role provides another showcase of the same wide range that Deadwyler showed in “Till.” Her Berniece is a complicated mix of ferocity, warmth, and deep-seated pain, all anchored in her family's past. In one crucial scene, she even becomes a possessed woman, her mind and body dominated by forces beyond her control.
“Danielle has great presence, firmness and strength,” said Malcolm Washington, another of Denzel's sons, who directed and co-wrote “The Piano Lesson.” “She has many nuances. “It’s all in your eyes.”
Some awards season prognosticators are already speculating that Deadwyler's performance could make her a serious Oscar contender — potential revenge just two years after her snub for “Till,” as well as the exclusion of other acclaimed black women from the awards. 2023 nominations, prompted the film academy's latest decision. controversy over race.
Deadwyler's portrayal of Till-Mobley's fight for justice following the brutal murder of his son, Emmett Till, in Jim Crow South won the lead performance honor at the 2022 Gotham Independent Film Awards and garnered nominations from such influential precursors as the British Film Academy. and Television Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards, but it did not make the Oscar list.
Instead, the five finalists included a surprise entry: Andrea Riseborough, star of the little-seen indie film “To Leslie,” which benefited from an intense effort by high-profile celebrities including Jennifer Aniston, Charlize Theron, Kate Winslet and Edward Norton. . to praise and organize private screenings of the film. “Till” director Chinonye Chukwu was one of several Hollywood figures who cited the “For Leslie” campaign as a factor affecting Deadwyler's chances of being nominated. Deadwyler herself, in a podcast interview, attributed the snub to racism against black women. (After an internal review, the film academy allowed Riseborough's nomination to stand, but subsequently made significant changes to the rules of its awards campaign.)
Deadwyler as Berniece in “The Piano Lesson.”
(Netflix)
If Deadwyler had any lingering bitterness about the furor, or worries about déjà vu with the growing enthusiasm for “The Piano Lesson,” it wasn't evident when he walked into a Beverly Hills hotel room recently, upbeat and cheerful. Dressed in a striking black ensemble, she was playful during a photo shoot, twisting around in different positions while Chappell Roan's music, her choice, played in the background. His boisterous laughter, which echoed through the hotel hallways, was a reminder that his recent roles haven't given him much opportunity for levity.
“I'm as good as anyone right now,” the Atlanta-based actress said when asked about rumors surrounding her role and the film. But his smile was soon replaced by a more serious expression.
“I'm relaxed about it. I have always known what has always been most valuable, which is people, what is happening with people, what is happening with culture. It has a lot to do with the whole, with how much we connect and with the joy that creating brought us all. It is not about individual recognition. That should not overwhelm the ego or psyche. I feel good and more settled in that understanding. The incessant questioning about awards, awards, awards can be too much.”
As for the uproar over its omission from the Oscar race, Deadwyler noted that the Academy also overlooked “The Woman King,” which was also considered a contender for the award, its star Viola Davis and writer-director Gina Prince. -Bythewood.
“Controversy always surrounds blackness,” Deadwyler said. “That year it was about a group of black women who were expelled. The abject nature of blackness is inherent in the way people perceived what it means for us to be present or not present in a conversation about what it means to gain recognition. And the recognition that is offered to a certain group of people, the conversation is not offered to them. “We have to start truly questioning whether we want a space to have any kind of equity.”
It remains to be seen whether “The Piano Lesson” will bring that recognition. For Deadwyler, the most important thing is that the film is an opportunity to commune with Wilson's writing.
“I was raised on August's work,” he said. “I have seen his works since I was a kid in high school. In my youth, I witnessed readings and productions of plays in Atlanta, where I lived. August was there often, working to develop the completed works. The 'Cycle of the Century' is especially what you want to do as an actor, as a black actor. And I saw 'The Piano Lesson' on Broadway.”
The 2022 Broadway production featured John David Washington, Jackson, Ray Fisher and Michael Potts, who reprise their roles in the film version.
When she was offered the role of Berniece, played in the revival by Danielle Brooks, she had a strong reaction: “Oh shit! Great,'” he recalled with a laugh. “Malcolm was the first person I spoke to. “We spoke over Zoom and he revealed himself to be an artistic twin.”
“The Piano Lesson” continues Deadwyler's dramatic gallery of single mothers who are determinedly protective of their children. Her performance in “Till” was preceded by 2019’s “The Devil to Pay,” a drama set in the Appalachian Mountains in which she played Lemon Cassidy, a mother fighting to protect her young son after ending up in the middle of a blood conflict. Enmity between two families at war. He produced that low-budget film while starring in it alongside his real-life son, Ezra Haslam.
“I grew up with August's work,” Deadwyler says of playwright August Wilson. “…The 'Cycle of the Century' is especially what you want to do as an actor, as a black actor.”
(Jennifer McCord / for The Times)
“I see it as an intentional curatorial effort,” said Deadwyler, who is also a single mother. “What it means to the mother. “These roles arise spiritually and serendipitously to allow us to wrestle with that in a commercial atmosphere.”
Playing Berniece also meant being the only woman in a predominantly male ensemble, many of whom had already spent several months together on Broadway. But Deadwyler never felt like an outsider: “I was the most loved, supported and appreciated.” He also recognized the importance of paper to the functioning of Wilson's work.
“I understood what I was getting into,” Deadwyler said. “This is a dynamic role, one that people love and adore. At the August Wilson National Monologue Competition [for high-school students]people do Berniece. With that kind of theatrical and artistic legacy, I come overly prepared.”
Detailing the scene where Berniece is possessed, Deadwyler paused for a few moments.
“It's a surrender,” he said. “I understand that it is an optimistic nature when you are possessed. “You succumb to being a conduit for the communication of ancestral knowledge and information.”
When asked what it's like to see herself on screen performing that scene, Deadwyler took a deep breath. “It is deeply emotional. It's not just a movie. It is real for black people or for anyone who has an ancestral clarity in their way of living in the world.”
Malcolm Washington said it was fascinating to see Deadwyler on set during the scene: “He said he doesn't remember doing it. She really was somewhere else. He submitted to the work and task of that day, which was to take her to that place. “That's why you make movies, to have a moment like that with an actor who works beyond himself.”
Deadwyler's upcoming projects aren't as heavy as “The Piano Lesson.” They include “The Woman in the Yard,” a Blumhouse horror film that she executive produced; the Netflix Christmas thriller “Carry-On”; and “Otis and Zelma,” where she will play Zelma Redding, the wife of soul legend Otis Redding, who will be played by John Boyega.
She's not limited to just acting in film and television, either: she plans to continue exploring her work in performing arts, dance, and more. Talk about being possessed.
“At this point, I hope to merge the two,” he said of his commercial and experimental sides. “This body produces all kinds of fruits.”
