John David Washington Recalls Seeing Dad Denzel Act On Stage For The First Time: ‘It Was Like A Magic Trick’

Following in his father Denzel Washington’s professional footsteps (after a period of rebellion), John David Washington has made quite the name for himself as an actor for nearly a decade, something that the elder Washington didn’t see coming. He made his first big splash on TV playing Ricky Jerret in the HBO series Ballers, and over the last several years, he’s starred in big movies like BlackKkKlansman, Tenet and Amsterdam. Most recently, Washington made the jump to stage performing in a Broadway revival of August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, and in the midst of his time on that production, the actor recalled seeing his dad perform on stage for the first time, describing the experience as like watching a “magic trick.”

John David Washington appeared on American Masters: Creative Spark to talk about his North Carolina roots, how he got into acting and what it was like for him working on The Piano Lesson, with his Broadway debut co-starring Samuel L. Jackson and Peacemaker’s Danielle Brooks. Of course, Denzel Washington is no stranger to stage acting, and during the interview, John David Washington revealed the first play he ever saw his famous father perform in, and what that was like for him: