Netflix’s ‘The Piano Lesson’ Adds Gail Bean, Jerrika Hinton, Stephan James & Others
by Matt Grober
June 1, 2023
EXCLUSIVE: Netflix‘s feature adaptation of the play The Piano Lesson out of August Wilson’s “American Century Cycle” has added six to its cast: Malik J. Ali (Swagger), Gail Bean (Snowfall), Jerrika Hinton (Hunters), Stephan James (If Beale Street Could Talk), Jay Peterson (The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It) and Matrell Smith (The Equalizer).
The casting announcement follows Tuesday’s for four-time Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Erykah Badu, who will make a cameo appearance with musical performances. John David Washington and Samuel L. Jackson lead the film after starring in a Broadway revival of the play which brought the latter a Tony Award nomination, with Ray Fisher, Danielle Deadwyler, Michael Potts and Corey Hawkins rounding out the ensemble.
Set in 1936 Pittsburgh during the aftermath of the Great Depression, The Piano Lesson centers on the lives of the Charles family in the Doaker Charles household and an heirloom, the family piano, which is decorated with designs carved by an enslaved ancestor.
Malcolm Washington will direct, in his feature debut, from his script written with Mudbound‘s Virgil Williams. Denzel Washington and Todd Black are producing, with Constanza Romero, Jennifer Roth and Katia Washington serving as exec producers.
Boasting credits including HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, Ali will next be seen in the second season of Apple TV+’s sports drama series, Swagger.
A core cast member of FX’s Snowfall, Bean was tipped in March to be leading a spin-off to the crime drama in early development at the network. She’s also recurred on shows like P-Valley and counts among her film credits such titles as horror thriller The Belko Experiment and the Sundance-premiering pregnancy dramedy Unexpected in which she starred opposite Cobie Smulders.
Hinton starred for two seasons on the conspiracy thriller Hunters at Amazon, also recurring on the Apple TV+ thriller Servant from director-EP M. Night Shyamalan. She’ll next be seen in a substantial role on Netflix’s limited series A Man in Full from David E. Kelley.
An Emmy and Golden Globe nominee best known for films like If Beale Street Could Talk, Selma and 21 Bridges, James has also previously been seen starring on series like Homecoming (Prime Video) and Shots Fired (Fox). He currently stars opposite Gugu Mbatha-Raw on the Apple thriller series Surface, which has been renewed for a second season.
Peterson’s credits include New Line’s The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It and Ang Lee’s TriStar drama Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk.
Smith comes to The Piano Lesson following a recent appearance on CBS’s The Equalizer.
Ali is repped by Forward Talent; Bean by Innovative Artists, Anonymous Content and The Hay Law Group; Hinton by Paradigm, Myman Greenspan and Trademark Talent; James by CAA, Noble Caplan Abrams in Canada, Range Media Partners and Jackoway Austen Tyerman; Peterson by Alan Artists; and Smith by Gill Talent Group and CSP Management.