August Wilson on Screen: Bringing the Hill District to Hollywood

While August Wilson’s stories have graced the world's most prestigious stages, their transition to film has brought the "rhythm and grit" of Pittsburgh to a global cinematic audience. Directed by and starring major icons like Denzel Washington and Viola Davis, these films utilize the city’s unique architecture to preserve Wilson’s vision.

Pictured |
The Writers Landscape Exhibit at the August Wilson Center
Credit |
August Wilson African American Cultural Center

Fences | 2016

The most famous adaptation of Wilson's work, Fences, was filmed almost entirely on location in Pittsburgh. Denzel Washington, who directed and starred in the film, insisted on shooting in the Hill District to ensure the movie felt authentic to Wilson’s roots.

Filming Locations:

  • The Maxson Family House is located at 1117 Anaheim Street in the Hill District. The production team used the actual backyard and alleyways of the neighborhood to capture the cramped, lived-in feel of the 1950s.
  • Various street scenes were filmed in thee West End neighborhood to replicate the mid-century aesthetic.
  • Significant for its historical connection to the "Century Cycle," parts of Wylie Avenue appear in the film.

Fun Fact:

To prepare for the film, Denzel Washington spent months in the Hill District, meeting with locals and visiting the August Wilson House to "soak up the spirit" of the neighborhood.

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom | 2020

Though the story is set in Chicago, the Netflix adaptation starring Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman was filmed primarily in Pittsburgh.

Filming Locations:

  • The production used the cobblestone streets and industrial brick buildings of Pittsburgh’s Manchester and Mexican War Streets neighborhoods to stand in for 1920s Chicago.
  • 722 Wood Street in Wilkinsburg is the shoe store where Levee (Chadwick Boseman) buys his prized yellow shoes is a real storefront in the Wilkinsburg business district. The production team repaired the storefront and windows specifically for the film.
  • The opening scene of the film, which features Ma Rainey performing in a humid, crowded tent in Georgia, was actually staged and filmed in North Park, just north of the city.

Fun Fact:

This was the final film for Chadwick Boseman. His performance as Levee, the ambitious trumpeter, is widely considered a masterpiece and earned him a posthumous Academy Award nomination.