The only role Samuel L. Jackson broke

However, this new film version was not Jackson's first experience with the harrowing piece. When it premiered at the Yale Repertory Theater in New Haven, Connecticut in 1987, Jackson played Boy Willie, Doaker's son. When the film was revived on Broadway in 2022, Jackson took over the role of Doaker and John David Washington took over the role of Boy Willie. The two men then took on these roles in the Netflix film.

Despite the fact that he has now grown into the role of Doaker, Jackson cannot shake his deep, enduring connection to the role of Boy Willie. He talked about this 1987 production Newsweek“It was great. I only did it because Charles Dutton did it Crocodile Dundee 2 That's when I had the opportunity to create Boy Willie. I was very attached to it – probably a little too attached.”

When the play finally transferred to the Huntington Theater Company in Boston, Dutton (Alien 3) had stepped in when Boy Willie and Jackson were relegated to sophomore status. Jackson admitted, “I was pretty devastated that I wouldn't be making my Broadway debut.”

It was particularly hurtful for Jackson because he felt he embodied the character perfectly, but could never escape the fact that Wilson had designed the role specifically for Dutton. Jackson told IndieWire“The piano lesson broke me. I felt like I was making it so great that even though it was written for Charles, they would say, 'You know what, Charles, let him do it.' And they didn't.”

While Jackson's confidence took a nosedive during this time, he developed a crippling addiction to alcohol, cocaine and heroin – overdosing many times. He told Newsweek that he “drowned himself in a drug-induced frenzy and ended up in rehab, which, as you know, marked the beginning of a very different journey for me.” After his family convinced him to seek help, he actually developed a completely different man who finally had a clear head for his acting work.

Ironically, the first role he played after getting clean and sober was as crack cocaine addict “Gator” in Spike Lees. Jungle fever. It was a revelation for the star, who admitted: “I hadn't done anything without a substance in my body until this film.” The authenticity of the performance shone through the screen, and Jackson was soon able to repeat his rave reviews Films like… to implement Patriot games, Jurassic ParkAnd pulp Fiction.

In the end, even though it took him to his lowest point, Jackson praises The piano lesson by helping him change his life.

He told IndieWire“I have a very special place for this piece and for what it did to me, for the clarity and the change in my life and where it took me.”

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