The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna

237 | Malcolm Washington & Virgil Williams (The Piano Lesson) On Adapting August Wilson's Pulitzer-Winning Masterpiece

Feb 13, 2025

Malcolm Washington, co-writer and director of the film adaptation of August Wilson's The Piano Lesson, and Virgil Williams, an Oscar-nominated writer known for Mudbound, discuss the unique challenges of adapting a beloved play into film. They share their creative process, emphasizing collaboration and the balance between personal stories and thematic depth. The duo also highlights the importance of character development and narrative conflict, revealing how their backgrounds influence their storytelling. Their passionate commitment to honoring Wilson's legacy shines through.

01:02:02

Episode guests

Virgil Williams

Malcolm Washington

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Malcolm Washington and Virgil Williams highlight the necessity of collaboration in adapting a celebrated play into a cinematic narrative.

The adaptation of The Piano Lesson emphasizes balancing emotional depth with visual storytelling by exploring character motivations and relationships.

The podcast underscores the struggle creatives face in maintaining authenticity against industry pressures to conform to commercial expectations.

Deep dives

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Intro

2min

The Art of Adaptation

11min

Exploring Narrative Movement and Conflict in Storytelling

3min

The Art of Collaborative Storytelling

21min

Intimacy and Vulnerability in Storytelling

11min

Character Introductions and Creative Integrity

9min

Embracing Creativity and Early Beginnings

3min

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It's no secret that plays and movies are entirely different mediums, so how do you give the cinematic treatment to a play as celebrated as "The Piano Lesson" by Pulitzer Prize-winning August Wilson? From the start, co-writer and director Malcom Washington came in with a very specific take on the material, and was incredibly grateful when Oscar-nominated "Mudbound" co-writer Virgil Williams came on board to help nurture that take on the page. In today's conversation, you'll hear how the two of them wrote together in the desert, creating a routinized approach to the material, while still leaving space for discovery.

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