John David Washington Expresses Desire to Return to the Stage

John David Washington isn't leaving the theatre anytime soon. Now that The Piano Lesson star has starred in the film adaptation of August Wilson's Pulitzer-Prize-winning play, Washington is looking forward to acting again onstage.

"I would like to do Shakespeare. I would like to do The Taming of the Shrew," said Washington in an interview with Deadline. "I want to go back. [to the stage]," he added, also saying he "would like to do a Tennessee Williams play or something original on stage," citing off-Broadway's Hold On to Me Darling with Adam Driver as a recent favorite. 

"I also just think [the theatre] a great place to learn," explained Washington, a philosophy he was taught by his father Denzel Washington. "That’s how you learn how to act... As much as I want to collaborate one day with a Paul Thomas Anderson or Jordan Peele I need to be able to say I’ve done a Shakespeare or Tennessee Williams play." The actor made his Broadway debut in 2022 with The Piano Lesson. Read the full interview with Deadline and check out reviews for The Piano Lesson movie here.

Adapted from August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning masterwork, The Piano Lesson explores the intergenerational dynamics of identity, resilience and transcendence - revealing startling truths about how we perceive the past and who gets to define our legacy. The movie is co-written for the screen by Virgil Williams & Malcolm Washington, and features music scored by Alexandre Desplat. It is now streaming on Netflix.

Photo Credit: Bruce Glikas