Constanza Romero, August Wilson’s Widow, On ‘Fences,’ Denzel Washington, Hollywood Diversity [Video Exclusive]

Constanza Romero on ‘Fence,’ August Wilson… by Uinterview

Constanza Romero, the widow of playwright August Wilson, opened up to uInterview about Fences, the 2016 drama film based on her late husband’s Pulitzer Prize winning screenplay.

Romero, an artist and theater designer, met Wilson in 1990 at Yale School of Drama, when a teacher assigned her to design costumes for his play. The pair married four years later, and had one child. Wilson passed away in October 2005.

Wilson’s 1983 play Fences won the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 1987 Tony Award for Best Play. Now, it’s been adapted to film, directed by Denzel Washington, which was released in December 2016.

Romero shared her thoughts of the film and her late husband with us in an exclusive interview.

“I think [August] would have loved it… Denzel Washington has really captured the culture and the very complex ideas that August wrote into this play. And the acting is fabulous,” Romero gushed.

Fences ranked 7th place in box office openings, and pulled in 11.6 million dollars before its fifth week.

“More people have seen Fences, just even the three weekends that it’s been open… than there ever were audiences in Broadway to see all [Wilson’s] plays. It’s a way to disseminate his ideas and his words and his poetry across a big divide of the American public,” Romero explained.

Washington both directed and produced the film adaption, and Romero only has glowing words for Washington.

“Denzel has really captured the larger-than-life character that Troy Max is. For heaven’s sake, he talks to Mr. Death during the movie,” she said.

“With Viola Davis, I think she captures her own disillusionment. But I think what is beautiful about her performance is at the end — there’s forgiveness and love,” Romero continued, speaking of Davis, the actress staring in the film.

When asked if Hollywood is doing a better job with diversity this year, Romero avoided branding any movie by the race of its cast.

“I don’t think it’s right to say, ‘Oh here are the black movies.’ For example, Moonlight and Loving and Fences are such different movies. And people will say, ‘Oh those are the movies that are in contention for the black spot in Hollywood,'” she said.

“In Fences, there’s such universality, and people relate to the story, of all different ethnicities and races,” she continued.

---