Ray Fisher shines on screen as Lemon, the best friend of lead character Boy Willie Charles, played by John David Washington, in Netflix's historical drama “The Piano Lesson.” His portrayal of the role has generated some early buzz about his Oscar nomination.
Fisher’s recent years have been rocky following his public feud with “Justice League” director Joss Whedon and former DC Films president Walter Hamada, but this project gives Fisher a chance to move on.
“What helped this whole process was that I had to give it to August Wilson,” Fisher said in an interview with The New York Times. diverse “This movie was an embodiment of the contradictions that existed within the work, within the character. I think there’s a little bit of Lemon Jackson in all of us. There’s an innocence in him that a lot of people lose over time, especially when you endure such hardship. For me, the movie was a palate cleanser in a lot of ways because I’ve endured certain hardships in my life and some professional hardships. To be able to go back to that space and say, ‘I don’t want to be stuck on this. I don’t want to be resentful of anything that happened. I want to move forward,’ and that’s what Lemon represents.”
ReadsYou can see all the Oscar predictions in all 23 categories on one page at: diverse Awards Circle: Oscars
Based on Wilson’s 1987 play of the same name, The Piano Lesson follows the Charles family in 1936 Pittsburgh as they grapple with family trauma and the very real ghosts of their ancestors. Their history of violence, cruelty, and oppression is reflected in the intricate carvings on the family piano. At the heart of the story is the fate of this heirloom—whether it will be sold or preserved as a memorial to the sacrifices of previous generations.
Fisher sat down with the rest of the cast and crew, including Daniel Deadwyler, Michael Potts, Corey Hawkins and co-writer Virgil Williams. The atmosphere was like a Sunday family dinner, with the group sharing jokes, laughing and enjoying each other's company.
The family connection makes sense, given that the film's director and co-screenwriter, Malcolm Washington, is the younger brother of star John David Washington. Their father, two-time Oscar winner Denzel Washington, is producing the film with Todd Black, while their sister Katya Washington serves as executive producer.
The Washington brothers remember growing up with bunk beds.
“John’s best friend, Dominic, who was like a brother to me, would come to my house about five nights a week,” Malcolm Washington recalls with a laugh. “He would kick me out of the bunk bed, and I would sleep in the closet. I was talking to him a couple of weeks ago, and Dominic said, ‘Where’s your bedroom?’ And I said, ‘Dominic, you took my room!’ And they put glow-in-the-dark stars in the closet.”
“That's why he's so creative,” Deadwyler joked.
Deadwyler's powerful portrayal of Bernice, the widowed mother, has been critically acclaimed. When she dives into certain scenes, I tell her, “My chest hurts.”
“It was like that for me, too,” she said. “I knew I had to over-prepare. I had to prepare for all the conversations we had beforehand that were raw and intuitive.”
Williams, who made history as the first Puerto Rican and Black writer to be nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for “Mudbound” (2017), spoke about adapting Wilson’s play. “The fear, reverence and respect were searchlights for both of us as we investigated and decoded the material,” he said.
“It’s hard to play two opposites,” Potts said of his portrayal of the grouchy boy. Meanwhile, Hawkins, who has worked on other literary adaptations including “The Color Purple” and “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” described his character, Avery Brown, as “a little bit elusive because we’ve talked about his intentions. He represents upward social mobility. I think Wilson looks down from the sky and says, ‘Well done.’”
Although Samuel L. Jackson, who plays Docker, and Denzel Washington were not present for the interview, the cast shared their favorite performances from the two stars. Their picks ranged from Denzel Washington's “The Hurricane” and “Ricochet” to Jackson's “Snakes on a Plane” and “Django Unchained.”
As for the Washington brothers, Malcolm said that Malcolm X's performance was his father's favorite, while John David said, “I've seen 'Glory' the most.”
