Denzel Washington’s Greatest Performance Now On Netflix
Denzel Washington gives possibly his greatest performance in Fences, now streaming on Netflix. Though it’s probably impossible to definitively claim any of the venerable actor’s performances as his best, there’s an excellent argument to be made for his work in this film. It’s a role he brought to both stage and screen and for which he won awards.
Denzel Washington directed and starred in Fences, available now on Netflix.
Fences is also a film Denzel Washington both produced and directed, making it a significant entry in his filmography on all three fronts. Based on the 1985 August Wilson play of the same name, the film also stars Viola Davis, who appeared opposite Washington in the stage version as well. The cast also includes Stephen McKinley Henderson, Jovan Adepo, Russell Hornsby, Mykelti Williamson, and Saniyya Sidney.
As early as 2013, Denzel Washington expressed his intention to not only star in but also direct an adaptation of the play, in which he had appeared in a 2010 Broadway revival. The work had long struggled to make it to the screen, in part due to playwright August Wilson’s insistence that an African-American director direct any movie adaptation of his play. Though Wilson’s wish was ultimately honored, he did not get to see it come to fruition, as he died almost a decade before the film’s 2016 release.
Inspired by the strength of the play and his love for the material, Denzel Washington teamed with producer Scott Rudin, who had also produced the Broadway revival, to bring the story to the screen. Todd Black joined the production team as well and Tony Kushner was tasked with adapting a screenplay version that had been written by Wilson in 2005. Ultimately, Wilson was given writing credit for the film while Kushner was listed as a producer, having endeavored to stay true to Wilson’s original vision.
Denzel Washington’s performance in Fences is so powerful a New York Times critic said it would resonate even if “dubbed in Martian.”
With Viola Davis joining Denzel Washington in front of the camera, the production moved forward, beginning filming in April 2015 in Pittsburgh’s Hill district. Williamson, Henderson, and Hornsby had also all appeared in the 2010 stage version and reprised their roles for the cinematic adaptation. Principal photography was completed in just two months, with post-production wrapping by the middle of November.
Denzel Washington was the driving force behind the project, in front of the camera, behind the camera, and, along with Viola Davis, as significant star power, providing increased visibility for the film. The play had already earned both actors Tony Awards, giving them not only experience in their roles, but previous acknowledgment for the quality of their performances. However, Kushner acknowledged that the sensibility on the set was that the real star of the film was August Wilson and his words, with Washington specifically directing all those involved to make decisions with the playwright’s words foremost in mind.
With a premiere at San Francisco’s theater on December 15, 2016, the Denzel Washington movie opened in a limited engagement across the United States on the following day. It then received a wider opening to 2,223 nationwide theaters on Christmas Day. That week, in the film’s first full weekend, it earned its first $10 million, having already made $11.5 million in its first two days, leading the way for its ultimate worldwide box office take of $64.4 million on a budget of $24 million.
Viola Davis and Denzel Washington both won multiple awards for their roles in Fences, with Denzel earning his first Best Director award.
Reviews for the film and for the performances of both Denzel Washington and Viola Davis were overwhelmingly positive, with the actors frequently cited as the movie’s standouts. Reviewer A.O. Scott of the New York Times went so far as to say that the performances would still deliver even if the film had been silent or “dubbed in Martian.” Most critics, however, also acknowledged the film’s fidelity to its Pulitzer Prize-winning source material, to which the adaptation had stayed strikingly true, as had been the filmmakers’ intention.
Denzel Washington and Viola Davis received multiple awards and nominations for the film, including a Best Supporting Actress Oscar and a Best Actress in a Supporting Role BAFTA for Davis. Davis and Washington won Best Actress and Best Actor Critics Choice Awards, respectively, while the film also won Best Picture and garnered a Best Director Award for Washington. Fences also received nominations and awards from film critics associations from Dallas-Fort Worth to London, as well as Saturn Award nominations and many more.
You can stream Fences now on Netflix.
