Posted by | Ray Cornelius
“Fences” stars Denzel Washington and Viola Davis bring some holiday magic to their December covers of ESSENCE magazine. The Tony award winning-actors are promoting their upcoming film which opens in theaters nationwide on Christmas Day.
Inside, Davis and Washington speak on honoring the legacy of August Wilson, dissecting the colossal effect of deferred dreams, and showcasing the breadth and beauty of the African American experience on film.
“What’s most important to me is that I take care of his words and his will for this play,” says Washington to ESSENCE.
“Fences” is also directed by Washington and is taken from a screenplay adapted from Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name. It is the sixth drama in Wilson’s ten-part “Pittsburgh Cycle” and focuses on a 53-year-old head of household who struggles with providing for his family and explores the African-American experience and race relations in the 1950’s. It won the 1987 Tony Award for Best Play and originally starred James Earl Jones, Mary Alice, Ray Aranha, Frankie R. Faison and Courtney B. Vance.
This new adaptation features Washington and Davis alongside Jovan Adepo, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Russell Hornsby, Mykelti Williamson, and Saniyya Sydney.
The film is also produced by Washington along with Scott Rudin and Todd Black.
“It’s not always that a director can say one thing that unlocks a scene when you’re blocked, especially with a scene that you’ve done so many times, but Denzel did that time and time again. He has a huge honesty gauge, so when he asked me to trust him, I did,” says Davis to ESSENCE.
Pick up your copy of ESSENCE featuring Denzel Washington and Viola Davis TODAY!
Click here to watch the amazing “Fences” trailer!
Photo Credits: Kwaku Alston for ESSENCE
