Ray Fisher not only delivered a charming performance on screen in Netflix’s period drama The Piano Lesson, but he also delivered a performance that generated early Oscar buzz. The film was a breath of fresh air for Fisher, who had been embroiled in a lot of controversies over the past few years.
The actor, who played Cyborg in DC’s 2017 Justice League, had a public falling out with the film’s director Joss Whedon and former DC Films president Walter Hamada. But the project ultimately gave him the space to move on.
During an interview at the Variety studio, the actor explained how he expressed his anger through his character in The Piano Lesson. “What really helped me through this whole process was August Wilson,” he said.
He said, “There was a lot of contradiction in this work, in this character. I think there’s a little bit of Lemony Jackson in all of us.” Fisher said that it was refreshing for him to play his character with an innocence that is not often found in adults. He admitted, “For me, it was a refreshing experience in many ways because I’ve had some hardships in my life and some career hardships.”
This project helped him get to a place where he decided to move forward instead of being stuck in the past. “To be able to come back to this place and say ‘I don’t want to get hung up on this’ and not feel resentment about what happened and wanting to move on, is something that represents his character.
Based on August Wilson’s book of the same name, the film revolves around the Charles family in 1936, who are deciding what to do with a precious ancestral heirloom – a piano. While some offer to sell it for monetary gain, others struggle to preserve their ancestral pride. According to the official synopsis, the film explores themes of family legacy.
Apart from Fisher, Samuel L Jackson, John David Washington, Daniel Brooks, Michael Potts and others are part of the star-studded ensemble. The Piano Lesson will release in theatres on November 8 and will be available to stream on Netflix from November 22.
