Interview: Olivia Washington on Family, Fearlessness, and Finding Truth in Wine in the Wilderness

It’s a special time for Olivia Washington. While she takes center stage in the Classic Stage Company revival of Alice Childress’s Wine in the Wilderness, her father, Denzel Washington, is lighting up Broadway just a few miles away in Othello. She went to his opening night on a Sunday; he was beaming at hers on Monday. But for the younger Washington, it’s less about the moment itself and more about the deep support her family shares, plus the importance giving voice to a play most people have never even heard of.

In this conversation, she opens up about discovering Alice Childress’s relatively unknown text, what makes her character so fearless, and the unexpected connections between her roles. She also shares what it was like working with LaChanze as a director and why stepping into challenging material is always worth the risk.

This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

It’s been a big couple of weeks for the Washington family. What is it like for you and your dad to be having this experience together, albeit him in Times Square and you at Union Square?
It’s something we didn’t really realize until it was happening. It’s gonna sound cheesy, but we deeply love and believe in each other. When there’s a movie to go to or a play to watch, we’re there to support. But we’re realizing in real time that this is a beautiful little experience that I don’t think any of us could have dreamed of.

Were you sharing war stories from rehearsals?
Absolutely! Mainly just line notes. We both were giving each other a little grace about learning our lines.

Did you know Wine in the Wilderness when you began this process?
I did not, and strangely so. I knew of the other two plays [Trouble in Mind and Wedding Band], but I had never heard of this play. When I read it, I was like, “How am I going to do this?” I don’t think I understood it all. It required a few readings, in fact. There’s so much happening, and there’s so much depth and humanity in what Alice Childress wrote. To get into that is an overwhelming feeling.

This is why she’s a classic playwright. You make things for your time, but they speak for generations to come. It still resonates, not because we haven’t made any growth as humanity, but because it’s so rich that we can still find certain kernels of truth in it.

Tomorrow Marie is a very brave character. Tell me about her.
I love how brave she is. I love how curious she is. There are so many times that I would be too afraid to enter a space and bring my full self to it. Too ashamed or too fearful of judgement, you know? And I love that she’s so fearless and open to change. Like, how many times are you open to being corrected in a space where you might not feel you have much in common with someone, and then you let it happen anyway? That takes a lot of guts. I admire her and I learn from her.

Last year, you played Kanesha in the West End premiere of Slave Play, another role that takes a lot of guts. Do you see a line between your roles in Wine in the Wilderness and Slave Play?
There’s a beautiful through-line that I couldn’t even pretend to have planned. These two women are, I don’t know…I feel like their souls can speak to each other. They’re women who are relentless in what they need for themselves and what they desire for themselves. They have different desires, but they’re deep desires. They have opinions and clear points of view. I feel lucky to be able to work through it and figure out how to bring it to life.

What is LaChanze like as a director?
My goodness. I’m such a fan of hers. The best gift that she gave me was her trust, and her championing of all of us to do what we needed to do, to discover what we needed to discover in the time that we had in the room. It felt so fast. But in that speed, she was so clear and open. Sometimes, since actor-directors know how to act, they tell you how to act. And she never did that. She trusted that we were all capable. I know that I couldn’t have done this without her confidence and leadership.

You don’t shy away from the difficult stuff.
Again, it’s really not been planned out. I’m just like, “Oh, that will be fun.” It scares me a little bit, and that’s a good thing. High risk, high reward. You can completely fall flat. But coming to it with a deep respect is what keeps my mind in the right place. It’s not a vehicle for me; it’s a space so people can hear Alice Childress.