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After a star-making run as a blockbuster action hero for directors like Christopher Nolan (Tenet) and Gareth Edwards (The Creator), John David Washington has spent much of the past two years paying his respects to a giant of 20th-century stage: August Wilson, the Pulitzer Prize-winning chronicler of Black-American life. In 2023, he made his Broadway debut in a revival of Wilson’s family ghost story The Piano Lesson, set in 1930s Pittsburgh, and then he dove right into the same lead role—the willful, enterprising Boy Willie Charles—in a new movie adaptation directed by his little brother, Malcolm. (The film hits theaters today and streams on Netflix beginning November 22.) ELLE caught Washington during a sorely-needed pause from decorating his new apartment in Tribeca—admittedly not his forte. “I’m definitely getting coached up,” he says, “and that’s a good thing.” Below, our latest ELLE Man talks about The Piano Lesson, turning 40, and the women in his life.
You just turned 40 in June! Welcome to the other side.
Yes—I worked out today and did 15 minutes dedicated to stretching. I used to clown people who stretched before they worked out. And I am that guy now.
Okay, so complete this sentence: I can’t believe I’m 40 and I still haven’t….
Skydived. I’ve got to do it, and I think I have the courage to do it now. I had a huge phobia of heights, but since I filmed Tenet, I’ve gotten more comfortable with it. I’ve also been in the season these last four-plus years of just conquering my fears. When I’m filming, I don’t have as much fear of trying stuff because I believe in the art. But in my real life, I guess I’m way too sensitive and precious. So I’m trying to apply some of the fearlessness I have attacking a role to everyday life.
What other fears have you been checking off the list?
Doing a Broadway play—a huge fear of being on stage. That was a big one.
You played college and pro football—are there any parallel fears between performing on stage and performing on the football field?
Yes, I would say so. It’s a war of attrition. You have to take care of your body, so I’m more cognizant of my physical upkeep. Protecting your voice. Playing injured—because the show goes on. I remember the last week on The Piano Lesson, I felt really ill—my body had just had it, my body knew it was coming to an end, and I felt like it was the Michael Jordan flu game. I was like, man, this is just like sports. Also I fractured my ankle during previews, and in the play there’s a lot of stomping, Boy Willie is a very physical character. And for some reason when that curtain went up, I wouldn’t feel it—but as soon as I got offstage, it would ache, it’d swell up.
Your brother directed The Piano Lesson, your sister Olivia and your mother Pauletta are in the cast, your other sister Katia and your father Denzel are among the producers, and this is the third August Wilson film adaptation your father has done. I have this fantasy of the Washington family all reading August Wilson around the dinner table. Please don’t spoil it.
[Laughs] Listen, I appreciate you holding us up in that light, but we might be more likely to be reading, like, ESPN stats and watching Jordan clips. We’re a very big sports family. But obviously, what it means to my father and the legacy of August Wilson—upholding his promise, his mandate of telling these stories, means a great deal to us.
At its core, The Piano Lesson is a ghost story about a family reckoning with the legacy of slavery. Have you ever been haunted by a ghost?
Yes, I’ve been haunted by a ghost—the ghost of my insecurities, the ghost of my shortcomings—but then once in Italy I literally thought I saw something. We were in Lake Como, staying at this hotel, and I woke up and just felt a presence, and I thought I could hear somebody breathe. My sister Katia was there, but wasn’t scared at all. She was just like, “Yeah, I saw it. It was pretty gnarly.”
So what you’re saying is you believe in ghosts.
Oh yeah, I do—I believe in ghosts. But I’m not that arrogant to think that it’s all about me. They could just be wandering and we’re, like, in their territory. I might be in their way, I don’t know. But sometimes I’m like, Yeah, that was obviously a message for me.
Okay, questionnaire time. The subject is women. If you get stumped, just say “Pass.” Which female costar has given you the best advice?
[The Creator co-star] Allison Janney. She’s a G. We were having dinner in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and she was talking the balance of life and how much that can help with longevity in your career.
A female movie character you’ve always treasured?
Nia Long in Love Jones. There was so much autonomy about that performance, especially for those times, and it felt like she was in full control. I always saw myself as the other guy.
Who is the earliest celebrity crush you can remember?
Rosie Perez, from White Men Can’t Jump. The way she would talk crazy to Woody Harrelson’s character—I was like, Oh, that’s my love language. Please, I would love for her to talk to me like that. Foods that start with the letter q!
Name a female singer who you always find yourself singing along with.
Anita Baker. Sade. And The Cranberries.
Oh wow, that took a turn after Sade. I wasn’t expecting The Cranberries.
That’s a karaoke go-to! And by karaoke I mean by myself. I love that song “Linger”—that’s my jam.
Delicate territory now: Tell us about the first time you got dumped.
[Laughs] I’ll put this out there: I deserved to get dumped. I will say that. But I also didn’t realize I was dumped until I called the girl—my ex—and a dude picked up saying, “She’s not here right now.” Come to find out that she had moved on, and rightfully so. It hurt my pride, but I deserved to be left like that.
Now the reverse question: Tell us about the first time you dumped someone.
Pass! Paaaaassssss! [Laughs] Pass on that for sure.
Do you have any stereotypically male bad habits that you’ll cop to?
Denial. Communication can be way better. I can be reckless at times in the pursuit of what I’m trying to do—but at 40, I need to learn how to balance it better.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
A version of this story appears in the November 2024 issue of ELLE.
Devin Gordon is a writer based in Brookline, Massachusetts, and the author of So Many Ways to Lose: The Amazin’ True Story of the New York Mets—the Best Worst Team in Sports.