play the fool

Screenwriter/director Cord Jefferson’s adaptation of real USC English professor Percival Everett’s novel “Erasure” affords Emmy-winner Wright endless opportunities to highlight the intelligence he always brings to his work, as well as to play the fool.

“Gotta go put on that uniform, and go out there and play the fool.”

D’Lo tells a story about a “Super Aunty,” who cautioned him at the commitment ceremony, “You can get drunk, ah? But don’t play the fool.”

It’s very easy in the game, for instance, to irritate the wife, and it’s simple for the husband to play the fool, but if one lets go of the idea of the ticking clock and approaches “Twelve Minutes” with patience, conversations between the characters gradually take on a more thoughtful air.

“I am pleading with you. Let us not take this hurricane lightly. This is not the time to play the fool.”