For Danielle Deadwyler, all roads lead to the theater. The Atlanta native honed her craft on the stage before making a name for herself in film and television with standout roles in Station Eleven, P-Valley, and The Harder They Fall. After captivating audiences with her breakthrough—and heartbreaking—performance in 2022’s Till, Deadwyler has now, in a sense, returned to the theater with The Piano Lesson. Directed by Malcolm Washington, the film adaptation of August Wilson’s 1987 play sees Deadwyler as Berniece Charles, a woman at odds with her brother (John David Washington) over the fate of their family’s most powerful and precious heirloom: a carved wooden piano. As Berniece, Deadwyler navigates grief, tradition, and the weight of generational trauma, delivering a performance of extraordinary depth and nuance—one that has earned her supporting acting nominations at both the Critics Choice Awards and the Film Independent Spirit Awards and placed her firmly in the awards-season conversation.
How well did you know the story of The Piano Lesson?
I’ve known about The Piano Lesson since I was young. I was reared as an actor among the August Wilson Century Cycle. So I knew the play, but this script was a beautiful adaptation written by Malcolm Washington and Virgil Williams. It is something to behold.
Had you performed Wilson onstage before?
Theater is my route—it is everything that made me the kind of artist that I am. It’s just been a minute: Covid popped, and then cinema and television came into my life. But the intention has always been to return to the stage. You move through all these worlds in order to find all kinds of senses of self.
In this film, your character sees ghosts. Do you believe in ghosts?
I wholeheartedly believe in spirits and in the work and protection of ancestors. I see them all the time. The language of the spirits is multitudinous, gestural, and symbolic. It’s a gift in our everyday lives, if we listen.
Is there a role in the back of your mind you’ve always dreamed of playing?
No, but I want to dance. I don’t want to do a musical, because those can be all about singing. For me, it’s about the body. I want to explore that. One of my beloved directors, Kent Gash, talks about dance being the first language. Somebody can say hello in myriad languages—English, Spanish, French—and somebody may not know what you’re saying, but if you do this [waves], that’s a gesture of hello. That’s immediate. Everybody knows that. Dance is a language. It’s a spirituality, a ritual.
What is your go-to karaoke song?
“You Oughta Know,” by Alanis Morissette. Anything where you can yell. That makes sense to me.
Do you keep a diary?
I do. I keep a diary that shifts: Sometimes I want to log the entire day, and sometimes just abstract thoughts or free writing. But the older I get, the more it’s just like, what did you eat today? What are some pivotal things that are happening? It enables me to know where I was in the world when I was having certain experiences.
Deadwyler wears a Dolce & Gabbana coat; stylist’s own gloves.
What is your sign?
I’m a Taurus. Tauruses are lovely human beings who are never stubborn, don’t overindulge, and are open to the world. I’m lying! Apparently, we’re stubborn and we like a lot of pleasure. People often say, “Oh, I see the Taurus in you.”
What is your secret skill?
For a film [Till], I had to learn to hold my breath for upwards of three minutes. Now, I’m no guppy. I’m not a shark or whale. I’m a Taurus, and I like to be on land. This scene didn’t make it into the film, but we were supposed to do all this beautiful stuff underwater. It is remarkable what the human body can do. Now it’s helpful for breath control and articulation, as well as just calming the body in meditation.
Is there anything you have pretended you know how to do in order to get a part?
I’m not a liar. I don’t think I’ve ever had to fake anything—I don’t do that. I knew how to ride a horse. Now, did I learn how to ride a horse more? Yes. Did I know how to shoot a gun? Yes. Do I know how to blast now? Yes.
What are your pet peeves?
Talking in a movie theater. I don’t like it. I like reactions. I like boisterousness. I like being influenced by the community, in a space together. Also, road rage. Vehicular accidents have increased because we are a little testy with each other in this world. We need a little bit more love. I think I’m constantly attracted to love and compassion and kindness. You need a heavy helping of that throughout your life.
Style Director: Allia Alliata di Montereale. Hair for portfolio by Paul Hanlon at Dawes & Co.; makeup for portfolio by Sam Visser at Art Partner; manicures for portfolio by Michelle Saunders James. Set design by Gerard Santos at Lalaland.
Creative producer to Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott: Leonard Cuinet-Petit at January Productions; producer to Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott: Kevin Isabelle; produced by AP Studio, Inc.; executive producer: Alexis Piqueras; producer: Anneliese Kristedja; associate producer: Kimmy D’Ancona; production manager: Hayley Stephon; production coordinators: Miranda Dos Santos, Susan Lucas; photography assistants: John Neate, Jed Barnes, Chris Whitaker, Kendall Peck; digital technician: Niccolo Pacilli; digital assistant: Cassian Gray; postproduction by Dreamer Post Production; fashion assistants: Tyler VanVranken, Molly Cody, Celeste Roh, Raea Palmieri, Tatiana Isshac, Haleigh Nickerson, Lauren Marron, Savannah Steilner, Sage McKee, Frankie Benkovic, Kaley Azambuja, Tatum Sanchez; production assistants: Gigi Rosenfield, Lily Cordingley, Eli Cash, Lex Vaughn, Anderson Renno, Kat Saravia, Kyle Dekker, Wyatt Noble, Brandon Martin, Moose Krupski, Josh Muwwakkil, Bradley Gonsalves, Drew Carter, Thomas Lynch, Alex Kofman, Jackson Schrader, Anatalia Zavaleta, Joseph Wride, Matt Flynn; first AD: Steve Kemp; location manager: Kyle Hollinger; hair assistants: Kim Garduno, Ben Gregory, Marco Iafrate, Hyacinthia Faustino, Chris Foster; makeup assistants: Shimu Takanori, Laura Dudley, Brian Dean, Beatrice Sandoval; manicure assistant: Cheyenne Vander Schuur; set design assistants: Seth Powsner, Denver Stoddard, Ryan Johnson; tailors: Irina Tshartaryan, Ripsime Vartanyan, Jackie Martirosyan at Susie’s Custom Designs, Inc.
