80s Quote by Denzel Washington
“I was first introduced to August Wilson in the 80s when Charles Dutton did Ma Rainey and James Earl Jones and Courtney Vance did Fences. I've long considered August Wilson to be one of the five greatest playwrights in American history.”
About This Quote
Source Film: Fences, 2016 adaptation, directed by Denzel Washington
The speaker recounts discovering August Wilson’s work through notable actors, emphasizing Wilson’s status among the greatest American playwrights.
In simple terms: Seeing Wilson’s plays performed by great actors shows his importance.
Key Takeaway
Explore Wilson’s plays for cultural insight.
Themes
theatre
American literature
representation
legacy
artistic influence
Mood
reflective
inspirational
Type
educational
celebratory
When to use this quote
- school curricula
- community theater
- academic research
- personal enrichment
Key Concepts
dramatic storytelling
racial identity
historical context
Questions to Reflect On
- What aspects of Wilson’s work resonate today?
- How can his plays be introduced to new audiences?
A Different Perspective
Wilson’s themes may be challenging for audiences unfamiliar with African‑American history.
![“It just happened that we did [Fences] seven years ago on Broadway. Scott Rudin brought me August Wilson's original screenplay for it, and I realized I hadn't read the play. So I read it. Then I realized that Troy (my character) was 53 - and I was 55 at the time. I realized I better hurry up! I…” quote by Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c64/denzel-washington-1345_august_it-just-happened-that-we-did-fences-seve_1828104.jpg)
![“We just had to stay out-of-the-way [in Fences]. [August Wilson] already wrote a masterpiece. And you really don't know how it's going to work until you get it in front of an audience.” quote by Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/474/denzel-washington-1345_audience_we-just-had-to-stay-out-of-the-way-in-fe_2351915.jpg)
![“August [Wilson] elevates in us is the average man in a way that is heroic and real and human. What you do is you sit with our pathology, you invest in our humanity. We're not walking around like walking symbols like we mean something larger. We're just moving throughout our lives and that's the…” quote by Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/42b/viola-davis-1174_august_august-wilson-elevates-in-us-is-the-aver_998884.jpg)
![“I'll be working with Ridley's [Scott] brother, Tony, again, someone who needless to say we've had a great amount of success together. I trust him - so I won't have to think about it or I'll try not to.” quote by Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/740/denzel-washington-1345_amount_i-ll-be-working-with-ridley-s-scott-brot_41793.jpg)
![“It was a very economically depressed time [the 80s] and because of that, there was a lot of space. Everything was relatively dilapidated, and one could live on a pretty low income. One could live well below the poverty line and not suffer immensely.” quote by Kiki Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/6f7/kiki-smith-10643_80s_it-was-a-very-economically-depressed-tim_26978.jpg)
