Malcolm & Marie Star John David Washington Explains Personal Dimension to His Character

John David Washington revealed the personal dimension to his character in Malcolm & Marie. Both he and his co-star Zendaya stopped by Desus & Mero to talk about the Netflix movie. It’s gained a lot of buzz since debuting on the platform. But, a common question has been, what’s with the exchanges between the two leads. Things get frenetic in the film, but there’s a sort of anger bubbling under the surface that has little to do with the relationship shown. For Washington, it’s a case of trying to succeed and being rebuffed due to things outside your control. It’s a sort of universal feeling, but one that is certainly not foreign to African-American performers. He likened that desire not to be “boxed in” to the same struggles that one of the film’s contributors, Kid Cudi had when he was first breaking through in the music world. You can be as talented as possible, but sometimes it takes time to really succeed on your terms.

“I think Sam Levinson, the writer/director, he’s an incredible writer. So, all I had to do was follow the yellow brick road. That led me to the promised land, it dictated my movement, my cadence, and my tone,” Washington began. “So, it’s difficult. But, I really wanted to say these words. Think about the frustrations of people who look like us, in our industry as artists, that don’t want to get boxed in. Thinking about a lot of hip-hop artists. Our producer, Kid Cudi, he led a huge new genre when he was coming out. But people weren’t ready for it. I’m thinking about all these different people, all these different artists. That’s a universal pride thing. That’s a universal thing we all want to get out of ‘it.’”

Perception has been on the mind of both stars. Zendaya talked to E! about fighting against the notion that she’s still a child in her performances lately.

“Because I’ve played a 16-year-old since I was 16,” she explained. “You have to remember that people grew up with me as a child. So, I guess it’s like watching your younger sibling, and now they’re grown. And, you’re not ready for it. So, it’s hard for people to wrap around [the idea] that I’m grown in real life. Even though I do play a teenager on television still.

Malcolm & Marie is now streaming on Netflix.

Have you seen the film yet? What did you think? Let us know down in the comments!