00:00He's an accomplished producer, director, and actor, known for his powerful performances
00:08on screen.
00:09Throughout his career, he's received multiple awards, including two Oscars, three Golden
00:13Globes, and a Tony Award.
00:15Our speaker, along with producer Todd Black and executive producer Costanza Romero-Wilson,
00:21adapted The Piano Lesson for film.
00:25Now please welcome Denzel Washington.
00:29And joining Denzel Washington will be Malcolm Washington, Miss Pauletta Washington, and
00:34I believe Danielle's getting up here again, too, is what I heard.
00:39All Wilsonians, all Wilsonians, come on up here.
00:43Glenn, come on, everybody, come on, all y'all, belong to all of us, come on, Costanza.
00:50I wrote a much better speech than that, but I left it home.
00:57You want to speak first?
01:00Yeah, you can speak.
01:02I should speak first?
01:04Yeah.
01:05Costanza Romero-Wilson.
01:06I thought that Denzel Washington was going to speak before me, but, oh my goodness.
01:17Happy New Year, everybody.
01:202025 marks 20 years since August has been gone, and I think that that 20 years cannot
01:31be marked better than today with the Hollywood Walk of Fame, so, you know, I'm going to read
01:39a bunch of thank yous, but that's my first thank you.
01:43Thank you, Denzel, oh, Danielle, your words were, you know, just, you made us soar with
01:52your words, thank you, and it really is an impact on the power of August's legacy.
02:05Before I begin, I want to acknowledge the presence here of August's older daughter,
02:09Sakina Ansari-Wilson.
02:10It's wonderful to have family here.
02:16August, my beloved husband, was a man of immense passion and unwavering dedication.
02:23He possessed a unique voice, a poet's soul, and a deep understanding of the human condition.
02:29Each of the 10 plays compiled in the American Century Cycle is a masterpiece in its own
02:35right.
02:36Each paints an indelible portrait of the black American experience, exploring themes of identity,
02:43history, and the intrinsic value of the human spirit.
02:47August especially believed in the power of history, in the voice of the ancestors to
02:52illuminate and to guide us as we often forget the sacrifices and the sins made by our forebears.
03:01He gave voice to multiple generations of black Americans who had previously been voiceless.
03:07He celebrated, he spoke out loud, he reminded us, he made us all walk in his grandfather's
03:13shoes and thus eloquently honored the rich tapestry of black life in all its complexities.
03:21I remember the first time I witnessed him deeply concentrated in his creative process.
03:26He was speaking all the characters' lines out loud over and over and over and over again
03:31because he was writing poetry, composing music with his own distinctive rhythm and cadence.
03:38Later after we were sharing the same roof, I noticed a piece of paper taped above his
03:43writing desk with the words, shoot for the moon, written in bold letters.
03:50I understood then that this was nothing short than his personal mandate.
03:55He didn't just want to be the best playwright that ever lived.
03:59He wanted to be the best playwright that I was ever going to live.
04:04This level of artistic ambition speaks for August Wilson's relationship with his craft,
04:10with his creative universe, and ultimately with his grand vision which cemented, literally,
04:17his indelible contribution to our American culture.
04:22This star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame marks August's expanding influence in the world
04:27of film and theater.
04:29It is a recognition of his unprecedented achievement, his mission to visit each decade of the 20th
04:35century with the American century cycle.
04:38Through the transformative power of art, he depicted the sacred spaces of everyday life
04:45and everyday people.
04:47Then he elevated their stories to reach the realm of universal truths.
04:53As we enter the plays, at least for me, it is as though the playwright were still alive
04:59commenting on our present struggles.
05:03He still has so much more to say.
05:06We have so much more to explore.
05:08Bringing August's work to the screen continues to be a labor of love, a collaborative effort
05:14to translate the magic on stage to the cinematic canvas.
05:19Thank you, Denzel.
05:25For being the custodian of the American century cycle, and to the entire Washington family.
05:32My gratitude also to the cast and my fellow filmmakers on The Piano Lesson for guarding,
05:37protecting, and preserving the gifts August left us.
05:42Thank you to Netflix for their commitment to uphold and adapt August's work to film,
05:48thus bringing a wider audience to August's enduring legacy.
05:53Thank you, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, for this absolute honor.
05:57And thank you to anyone who has ever loved and cherished August Wilson's work.
06:02His words will continue to inspire and resonate for generations to come.
06:10I had a better speech than her too, but I didn't bring it.
06:17I'll say it.
06:18I said it before, I'll say it again.
06:19Eugene O'Neill, Edward Albee, Tennessee Williams, I'm leaving out one, who's the fourth one?
06:27Eugene O'Neill, Edward Albee, Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, August Wilson.
06:32One of the greatest to ever do it.
06:35One of the greatest that will ever do it.
06:37He is home where he deserves to be, right here, doing or having his work interpreted
06:46with on film, and to be a small part of that, to be given the honor to shepherd his brilliance
06:56is not a lifelong dream, but it's the most important part of the rest of my life and
07:03my career.
07:04I will take care of August Wilson.
07:08Malcolm, filmmaker.
07:1040 seconds.
07:1140 seconds.
07:12All right.
07:13One minute.
07:14Easy.
07:15Hello.
07:16Director of the Piano Lesson.
07:23It's my honor to add my voice to the choir of adoration for a king in our culture, Mr.
07:27August Wilson.
07:28A man whose pen, ordained by God, but forged in steel, spun tomes of prophecy.
07:34He seemed to know us better than we could ever know ourselves.
07:38His ink carried the voice of a people, their hopes, their desires, their shortcomings and
07:43triumphs.
07:44He painted pictures of our history and visions of our future.
07:47So Mr. Wilson, while we never met, I'm a drop in the sea of a generation of artists so profoundly
07:51moved by your words, seen in your verse, whose consciousness was developed by your text.
07:57May your legacy live on forever, most importantly in your work, but personified in this altar.
08:02Mortared for you, King.
08:04All right.
08:05Need we say more?
08:06We don't need to say anything else.
08:07Who's next?
08:08What do we got to do next?
08:09You didn't have a speech better than that one.
08:10I know.
08:11I ain't got a speech better than that one.
08:12Can I have everybody but the stomp them?
08:13Everybody get off the stage.
08:14We're going to bring you back to the cover.
08:15We're going to have our Anthony come back.
08:30Finally it is an honor to be among so many Wilsonians and also actual Wilsons.
08:38So Cassandra, let me just add that the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce administers the Walk of
08:44Fame on behalf of the city of Los Angeles.
08:47And on behalf of the chamber and Hollywood council member, Hugo Soto Martinez, I now
08:54present you with a city resolution.
08:58So we'll stand right here so they can take a picture of you with it.
09:03I'll hold.
09:04Okay.
09:05Great.
09:07Yeah.
09:08Okay.
09:10Okay.
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