John David Washington Says Dad Denzel Washington Taught Him About Embracing 'the Freedom to Fail'

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John David Washington is following in his father's footsteps.

The former pro football player and actor, 38, will make his Broadway debut later this month when August Wilson's The Piano Lesson begins performances Sept. 19 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. His dad, Denzel Washington, won a Tony Award 12 years ago for his work in another of Wilson's plays: Fences.

Denzel went on to direct and star in a 2016 film version of Fences, earning an Oscar nomination for his performance.

"Am I nervous when [my father is] watching me on stage? I don't know yet. Maybe. I might not even be thinking about it because I'm thinking about the notes from my director," John said at a press conference Wednesday while promoting The Piano Lesson. "I don't know if I have time to be nervous about what he thinks."

However, John does think about how the 67-year-old film star influenced him as an actor.

When asked what he has learned from Denzel, the Ballers alum replied: "The freedom to fail, to find out, flourish in that failure. In that being uncomfortable, you'll find the greatest parts of yourself as an artist."

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In The Piano Lesson, John will star alongside Oscar nominee Samuel L. Jackson and The Color Purple star Danielle Brooks. Samuel's wife LaTanya Richardson Jackson directs, and John said that he has learned a lot in the process.

"I feel like I'm in grad school," John said. "This is an education for me. I feel like I'm becoming a different artist, an artist that I've been wanting to be."

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In the play — which will officially open Oct. 13 — John will star as Boy Willie, the role originated by Samuel when The Piano Lesson premiered in 1987 at the Yale Repertory Theatre. (Samuel served as an understudy when the play eventually transferred to Broadway.)

John, who had a brief NFL career before becoming an actor, compares performing in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play to his work on the football field, saying that he's been having "sleepless nights" as his first night on Broadway quickly approaches.

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"I'm having a good time, but — like I said before — it feels like training camp. These hours you put in, and just drilling it, you know? There's a saying I go by: 'Averages practice until they get it right; professionals practice until they can't get it wrong.'

"So what does getting it right mean? It means the truth of it," he added. "To tell [my performance] fully and truthfully within the rules of the great writer August Wilson."

For more information and tickets, visit PianoLessonPlay.com.