Before his death in 2005, August Wilson optioned Fences as a feature film. He was adamant about wanting a black director, saying: "I declined a white director, not on the basis of race, but on the basis of culture. White directors are not qualified for the job. The job requires someone who shares the specifics of the culture of African Americans."
"The key word is culture. I know what hair smells like when it's being fried on Sunday morning," Denzel Washington, the film's lead actor and director, said after a special New York City screening of the new film.
It's a powerful story about a husband and father's unique and hurtful love language; a wife's resilience and commitment to her marriage and family; and a son, eager for his father's love. There's nothing but magic between Washington as Troy (the father-husband) and Viola Davis as Rose (the mother-wife). Their performances rival each other for Oscar worthiness.
There's a common theme in Fences that centers on … a fence. What do you do with fences? Some people use them to keep things out, but they also keep things in. Check out our interviews with the cast members to see what they would keep in and out of their own fences, and to hear memories of their own fathers that have shaped them into who they are today.
Watch below: