Danzel Washington, an acclaimed actor, director, and producer who stared in Gladiator II, was recently seen supporting his family.
Taking a break from the promotion of Gladiator II, Danzel attended the premiere of Netflix’s The Piano Lesson at the Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles on November 19.
He was joined by his wife, Pauletta Washington, and three of their four children: Katia Washington, John David Washington, and Malcolm Washington.
The Man on Fire actor’s two sons are involved in the musical drama, which is about the Charles family, who decides what to do with their heirloom piano that has carvings of their ancestors’ faces.
Notably, John David plays the main character, Boy Willie, while Malcolm directed the film for the first time, which Denzel co-produced.
Moreover, while conversing with Deadline on November 18, Malcolm said his late grandfather inspired him to direct the film.
Referring to his mother’s father, he revealed, “A big part of [The Piano Lesson] was based on my grandfather,” and shared he “passed away when I was 8 years old. But as you can imagine, he was a big influence on my mom.”
Malcolm further quipped that his mother “always talked to me about [her father] and how I reminded her of him and that his qualities live in me.”
“When I think of what I want to be as a man, I think of him even though we only shared my first eight years of life together,” he confessed.
“In this way, he is guiding me,” Malcolm concluded, speaking highly of his grandfather.
For the unversed, the 33-year-old son of Danzel also co-wrote the film along with Virgil William, an Oscar-nominated writer.
It is pertinent to mention that The Piano Lesson is based on August Wilson’s play of the same name, which will be released on November 22, 2024.
