Nicholas Ma Tells the Story of Fred Rogers in “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”

Nicholas Ma appeared on Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood twice as a child with his father, cellist Yo Yo Ma. Now he has produced a documentary called Won’t You Be My Neighbor? about Fred Rogers. It is a deeply moving tribute not just to the beloved PBS star but to kindness, patience, and listening. For our interview, Ma greeted me wearing a Mr. Rogers-style sweater and a Mr. Rogers-style neighborly welcome.

What was it like to go on the show?

So you’re watching television and you see a guy who is about six inches big and you are transfixed (at least my sister and I were) and then to have the opportunity to meet him is sort of heady and when you get there and he is 6 feet tall or something and he is three dimensional and in color it really takes you by surprise. I was very scared. It was one of those quintessentially Fred moments of grace where he just took his time. He didn’t come rushing up to me to say hello or anything. He let me find my way to him in my own time. Probably much to the annoyance of the producers it took me a little while to get comfortable and really understand how to approach him as a person and not just to listen to him as a neighbor on television.

I was very excited about this piece of music that I was going to play on the show with my dad — it’s my…