Denzel Washington and Viola Davis Have Emotional Showdown in First 'Fences' Trailer

Denzel Washington directs and stars alongside Viola Davis in 'Fences,' an adaptation of August Wilson's classic play.

Not Available Lead
Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

Not Available Lead

Fences is a hell of a play. No question about it. But how will it fare as Denzel Washington's latest directorial effort? Pretty damn well, if the first trailer is any indication. Washington's take on the award-winning 1983 play stars Viola Davis and Washington himself as Rose and Troy Maxson, a married couple in 1950s Pittsburgh who share a son together, Cory (Jovan Adepo).

Both Washington and Davis bagged Tony awards back in 2010 for their performances in the stage version of Fences, August Wilson's story of a retired baseball player struggling with the complexities of raising a family. In fact, Washington previously revealed that he wanted to helm a film version of Fences well before even thinking about starring in the critically revered play.

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

"[Fences] reawakened me about the work, and my commitment to the work," Washington toldEmpire way back in 2013. "I said to myself: 'I've got to dig deeper'. The reason I did Fences is that Scott Rudin sent me the script August Wilson wrote—the only one of his plays that he wrote as a screenplay—to act and direct. I really do want to direct this."

Davis echoed Washington's assessment that the story is challenging for its performers, tellingIndieWire in July that Fences stands as part of a turning point in her career. "With the movie Fences, now I'm No. 2 on the call sheet, next to Washington," Davis said. "I'm there every day. I'm in every scene. I'm battling it out, I have a huge arc, and now all of a sudden, I feel alive in a way that I didn't before. But there was certainly a time in my career, many many years, where I was not challenged."

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

Fences opens Dec. 25.

Latest in Pop Culture