Washington has a lot to say on ‘Fences,’ more
Denzel Washington does not mince words.
Washington, 61, directs and stars in “Fences,” the film adaptation of August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play (Washington also won a Tony Award for the revival in 2010). As is usually the case with interviews set up with a studio, we had an allotted time to talk about the movie: 15 minutes.
And 45 minutes later, we hung up.
He’s a chatty guy, effusive about the film and, in particular, Wilson. This was more like a conversation than some interviews, albeit a conversation in which one party talked a lot more than the other. As it should be.
Editor’s note: We’ve abridged this interview for length. To read Washington’s full comments, visit “Fences,” an adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by August Wilson, stars Denzel Washington (left) and Stephen Henderson. they’re listening, or nobody knows they’re watching, like in the scene where he knocks the cans down. In the play, the lights went down — well, first of all, in the play we weren’t in the kitchen, we were in the yard — the lights went down to the next scene. But now the lights don’t go down. He storms out and we stay with Rose (Viola Davis’ character). Now we get to see a bit of her pain. And then I take it a step further, and she doesn’t know her son is watching her. So you get to see people. It was another moment I just found.
In the play you see everybody at the same time, whoever’s on stage, and you make a decision about who you watch. In a film, you have to cut to somebody. So that was not the most difficult, but the most interesting part of the post (production) — who am I on, when and why? (Co-star Davis, who also did the revival) has that big powerful speech. Well the two of us were onstage together and we were both facing the audience. Well now we’ve got to be on one or the other. So when are you on her? Why are you on her? When are you on Troy? Why are you on Troy? When do you use the wide shot, when do you use the tight? And why? And where? Those decisions, that was more the task at hand. It’s a combination of elements that we bring together to serve August Wilson.
When I started acting it was stage. Now, I like my life. I get to do stage, I get to act in movies and I get to direct movies. I don’t want to choose. Directing is harder, maybe. This was tricky because obviously it’s a big role. But it was a tremendous advantage because we had done the play. I wasn’t trying to find the character. But what I did do was also sit down with everybody and say, “Let’s start at the beginning, not where we finished the play. Let’s start like we’d never done it. Let’s infuse as much love as we can in this family and let the play, the screenplay, the story take us where it takes us.” It was trying to look at it with fresh eyes, because we had done it a certain way. I won’t say the performances are the same — Viola was just as good onstage as she is in the movie. All these actors have done television, they’ve done film, they know how to do it.
I don’t know what day it was or what I was shooting, but I said you know what? It works. It holds up. It’s great material. Did Marlon Brando — I’m not saying I’m Marlon Brando — did he like the play better or the movie better? I don’t know. They’re just different. But I’m happy I used the people in the play.
Yeah, that’s it. A million of them a day. I call them opportunities. “Oh, what are we going to about that?” “Well what an opportunity we have.” But that’s what it is, to figure out little things. It’s one after another after another.
Q: Is that as satisfying as really nailing a scene as an actor?
A:
I love seeing people do well. So it’s more satisfying than just nailing a scene. And if you think you’ve nailed the scene then you probably haven’t, because you were too aware of yourself.
Q: You’re famous, and you go out and people ask you questions about everything — movies, Donald Trump, whatever. Does that get old? You don’t have the luxury of not being “on” all the time.
A:
Oh yes I do. Yeah I do. When I’m at home (laughs).
Q: But if you are in a crowd and someone asks you something and you say something stupid, you’ll hear about it for five years. It seems like it would be exhausting.
A:
Well, I guess it could be. But that’s only in spurts. One of the great things Sidney Poitier taught me years ago, he said, “If they see you for free all week they won’t pay to see you on the weekend.” Right? There’s value in mystery, especially as it relates to the movie business. There’s value in being quiet and staying out of sight, and then you come back. And you have to answer questions and all that, and then you go away. And then people are like, what do you mean? And I say, “When’s the last time you saw Daniel Day-Lewis?” OK? And he did 2, 3, $400 million, great box-office, and then he goes away. Because you want them to say, “Where is he?” Or, “I can’t wait to see what he does next.” If you’re everywhere, you’re nowhere.