Fences, in theaters now, is the first August Wilson play to be adapted into a feature film backed by a major film studio (The Piano Lesson, which was first produced in 1987, was made for TV in 1995). The sixth entry in Wilson’s ten-part “Pittsburgh Cycle”—which focuses on a former Negro League baseball star turned trash collector in 1950s Pittsburgh who takes his bitter frustrations out on his family—premiered on Broadway in 1987 and won the Pulitzer Prize for drama. Wilson died in 2005, but had already written a screenplay for the eventual cinematic version—Denzel Washington, who starred as Troy in the 2010 Broadway revival, both directed and produced it for the big screen.
Stephen McKinley Henderson: Well, I was trained to work on the classics and poetic playwrights, Shakespeare and so forth. So I rejoice in the fact that this great poet-playwright came along who wrote from my cultural perspective. I was challenged by Shakespeare and challenged by the Greeks, and I’m just as challenged doing August’s work. It’s not easier; it’s just as challenging and just as fulfilling.
Adepo: I was very much aware of their performances, and I had seen them, but it wasn’t something that I looked back to once I got this part. It was like this was a singular experience. I wanted to show respect for the people who had done it before, but also bring my own fresh interpretation of the character. It was an opportunity that I knew would be nothing but a blessing to have, so I was really excited to get the chance to play the role of Cory in its entirety, for sure.
Henderson: He picks up from everybody. And you know, it’s the ensemble, it’s all the guys: Mykelti, Russell, Denzel and I, and this young man. He really does give you faith in the future—when you run into young people like this, who really respect legacy and are humbled by their opportunities and are well up to the task, willing to do all the midnight hours, be willing to do whatever it takes to get it there. So it was a joy, really a joy, to meet this young man. You’re also an educator. What drew you into acting, and after that, what made you want to teach acting?
Has your dad seen Fences yet?
Henderson: Oh, yeah. August never writes a character that isn’t absolutely essential to the story. But to be someone’s best friend, that’s really the thing. And to be Denzel Washington’s best friend. Between the time we first played these roles [on Broadway] and the time we did the film, I’d done another play with him. I had more shared history with him. So to bring that to the film . . . when he turns and looks at you, you’re his best friend. He gets to say to me, and I get to say to him, that I love him. And for men in the ’50s, that didn’t get uttered, but only because of what difficult times they came into. But there’s so many wonderful things about playing Bono, and any role written by August Wilson. So I’m glad to serve the play, and to get to be with all these other actors who are equally glad to serve the play. It’s a great feeling.
