Why Denzel Washington Is Calling Out Son Malcolm as a ‘Mama’s Boy’! (Exclusive)

Denzel Washington and his co-producer Todd Black are dishing on their film “The Piano Lesson,” which was co-written and directed by Denzel’s son Malcolm Washington and stars his other son John David Washington.

“Extra’s” Mona Kosar Abdi spoke with Denzel about the film, which Malcolm dedicated to his mom and Denzel’s wife, Pauletta.

Asked what he thought of the dedication, Denzel joked, "You mean after I went, 'Where's dad?' I think I'm still sore now. I was waiting — it's gonna keep scrolling, there's something else that's coming up."

He added, "He — and I say this with all the love, and he'll tell you — he is a mama's boy. He will sit in his mama’s lap now.”

Todd noted, “She was on set with us, and Denzel would always say she's the lead producer. She’s a huge part of all four kids’ lives. These are amazing parents. I’ve watched them for so many years now, and they're both amazing parents. And Pauletta just has such care and guidance and a firm hand. And when you meet these kids, it’s amazing to see in 2024, adult children behave the way they behave to their parents and to everyone around them, and lots of that is attributed to great parenting.”

In the drama, based on August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, a brewing battle over an heirloom piano threatens to tear a family apart.

While it was family affair on set, it was all “business” with filming!

Denzel elaborated, “Once he started, you know, calling action and here we go, like, here we go. Let's see what he’s gonna do, you know.”

Was Denzel nervous for his son? He commented, “He was so prepared, there wasn’t a reason to be nervous on day one."

Todd added, “He was super prepared. He knew what he wanted and he knew what he was doing, and at every turn he showed us that."

Mona also spoke with John David and his co-star Danielle Deadwyler, who were also raving about Malcolm.

John David said, "I couldn't choose a better leader to do it. I was excited how he saw the work, how he sees the words. He’s a brilliant man, my brother, and yet he’s so open and acquiescent to ideas and collaborations. So, I love that aspect of him and he definitely applied that to our working environment, so it was easy. I didn’t think of him like a brother, I thought of him more like what he is, which is a phenomenal director. So, it was easy in that regard because I'm just a fan of his work."

He noted, “We were in the foxhole all together, like, we understand the traditions here, we understand the weight and the importance and how relevant August still is and our job is to shepherd that message, to keep it going.”

Danielle shared her two cents, calling Malcolm “a wealthy vessel of information, of love, of arts, passion, and just a beautiful being that brought us all together.”

The film adaptation puts a huge emphasis on family legacy, but what does it mean to John David?

He said, “It’s a big question, you know, and I understand and I respect and I take with me, the artists that both my parents are, the people that they were before they got together, the artists that they are, and I try to uphold that and infuse that in every project. I come to the arts humble, hungry, and hankering for knowledge. I just want to keep learning and keep growing and expanding the possibilities of what I can be."

John David added, "I think if I do that and attack it diligently, ferociously, unrelentingly, I think that is how I can uphold or sustain the legacy."