Kenny Leon has spent his career inspiring extraordinary people to do extraordinary things. But long before he began directing some of the world’s greatest actors, he was learning about direction from the people who helped shape him.
In his 2018 memoir, Take You Wherever You Go, Leon reflected on the wisdom he gathered along his journey from some of the most important people in his life, including his grandmother, his mother and the great playwright August Wilson. Those lessons—about work, character, purpose and how to move through the world—have continued to inform the way Leon lives and works.
With his new book, Direction: Making the Most of the Performance of Your Life, Leon is taking those lessons a step further, turning decades of experience in rehearsal rooms, on Broadway stages and alongside extraordinary artists into a guide for navigating life itself.
Leon has directed some of the greatest actors of his generation including Viola Davis, Denzel Washington, Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Hanks, Angela Bassett, Audra McDonald, Phylicia Rashad, Blair Underwood, Leslie Odom Jr., Kara Young, Courtney B. Vance, and on and on. He continues to create spaces where artists can take risks, dig deeper and find the truth of a story.
Now, he is turning those lessons outward.
In Direction, Leon shares 20 lessons about leadership, collaboration, creative courage and living with purpose. The book, published by Regalo Press and distributed by Simon & Schuster, arrives December 1 and is available for pre-order now. It features a foreword by Tom Hanks.
The idea for the book grew out of Leon’s unusual vantage point: He has spent much of his life learning from the generation before him—including Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte and August Wilson—while also spending countless hours with younger artists.
“I realized that maybe I’m the glue that can connect the lessons learned from the previous generation, specifically African Americans, but others too, and translate those lessons for younger generations.”
From A Raisin in the Sun, Fences and A Soldier’s Play to Purlie Victorious, Our Town, Othello and The Balusters, Leon has spent decades thinking about what allows people to do their best work. Direction is his attempt to take those lessons out of the rehearsal room and into everyday life.
As Leon sees it, the principles are deceptively simple. Prepare. Work hard. Know yourself. Be kind. And don’t wait around for permission to become the person you’re meant to be.
“This is a book about observing human beings—some famous and some not famous—and sharing those observations in the hope that we can grow and learn,” he says. “And maybe add a little more love to the world.”
Kenny Leon on Direction, Tom Hanks and What Great Artists Do Differently
Q: You have spent decades in rehearsal rooms with artists who are some of the most extraordinary artists of our time. What have those rooms taught you about what brings out the very best in a human being?
Kenny Leon: One of the main things I have learned in rehearsal rooms, from some of the people I’ve worked with, is that whether an actor is famous or not famous, the good ones want to be great. The Samuel L. Jacksons of the world and the Angela Bassetts of the world—the reason they are telling these stories and using their craft to tell these stories is because they want to continue getting better.
I try to dig into the human side of the actors I’m working with, and I try to push them to be the greatest they can be. And when it’s an unknown actor who is just out of school, I want to help teach them and provide an atmosphere where they can be great and reach their fullest potential.
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Q: What are some qualities you have noticed in the artists who continue to surprise you, grow and take themselves somewhere they haven’t been before?
Kenny Leon: One of the things I’ve noticed about great artists is that you can never outwork them. They are the people who are willing to put in the extra time to prepare. They are the actors who are in the rehearsal room an hour before you arrive. You simply cannot outwork some artists.
The actors who are willing to put in the work and who have a clear sense of direction and a clear passion for what they want to do are the best. Those are the ones who attain greatness.
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Q: When Tom Hanks agreed to write the foreword, what did you hope he would understand about the heart of Direction—and what did he say that surprised or moved you?
Kenny Leon: I’m so grateful to Tom Hanks for writing the foreword to my book. He is the real deal. He’s authentic, fully prepared, and he works incredibly hard. He is exactly who he represents himself to be. This is a man who walks to Central Park. He’s a very famous person, but he walks to Central Park and sits there. He tries to live as a regular human being, even though he is so much more than a regular human being.
The fact that he was willing to write the foreword meant so much to me. Then, to see the time he put into it—the foreword is great writing. There’s poetry in it. There’s truth in it. He didn’t simply say, “Thank you.” He expressed what he had received from being in a room with Kenny Leon.
That’s very special to me, which is why I’m grateful that we’re getting together to move the play to Broadway now. Tom Hanks is not only a great artist, but he’s also a great friend and a great human being who is trying to make an impact on his fellow human beings. We’re like-minded in that way. I find a beautiful brother in Tom Hanks, and hopefully this will be the beginning of many things that we do together.
Q: What are some key lessons you share in Direction?
Kenny Leon: I’m very excited to have finished writing the book, Direction. I believe there are lessons to be learned in a rehearsal hall, where you’re examining human behavior and human relationships. There is a connection between the rehearsal hall and our everyday lives, and I thought, why not share those lessons? Lessons like: If you’re on time, you’re late. Preparation is everything. Hard work is everything. Take yourself everywhere you go. Don’t try to be anyone else. Be you.
Look at Tom Hanks. I can say “Hanks,” and you know exactly who I’m talking about. If I say “Samuel L.,” you know who I’m talking about. Denzel—you know. They have uniquely defined their artistry by digging into their own DNA. I think that is an encouraging message to pass on to fellow Americans and fellow human beings: Just be you. Or, as I tell my grandchildren: Be kind. Be respectful. Be all that you can be. Live a life that is worthy of your grandmother’s memories.
Q: A director is constantly asking people to step into someone else’s story. What has directing all these different lives and stories taught you about your own?
Kenny Leon: Having directed almost twenty Broadway shows, a couple hundred regional theater productions, and having had the opportunity to direct Hairspray Live! and The Wiz Live! for television, the Steel Magnolias remake, A Raisin in the Sun, and shows like Dynasty and Gossip Girl, I think I’ve gathered a lot of knowledge about us—about human beings.
We are all on the planet at the same time, and there are lessons we can learn from one another—from the stories we share, from the way we live our lives, and from the way we observe people in the world.
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