Denzel Washington Refused Kissing Julia Roberts in $195.3M Film After Critical Backlash for Kissing Tom Cruise’s Ex Wife
With excellent filmography and multiple critically acclaimed projects, actor Denzel Wahington has carved his position in the list of influential actors in Hollywood. The American actor has been entertaining us for over four decades with his great acting skills.
Denzel Washington
The nine times Academy Award-nominated actor is a man of his word. During the filming of the critically acclaimed movie The Pelican Brief, the actor simply refused to kiss his co-star Julia Roberts. Denzel Washington clarified the reason for not doing and it was a great one.
Why Did Denzel Washington Refuse To Kiss Actor Julia Roberts?
Denzel Washington collaborated for The Pelican Brief with Julia Roberts at the peak of his career in 1993. The political drama went on to receive a great reception from the audience and the critics and even grossed around $200 million at the box office. But The Equalizer actor refused to kiss Julia Roberts in the film, in order to show loyalty to his female African American fans. During an interview with the media outlet Cheat Sheet Showbiz, the Man On Fire actor clarified his reason for not going ahead with the kiss. He went on to say-
“Black women are not often seen as objects of desire on film. They have always been my core audience.”
Denzel Washington was criticized by his Black female fans for sharing a kiss with actor Mimi Rogers in the 1989 movie The Mighty Quinn. According to the rumors, it was believed that Julia Roberts declined the kiss. The actor broke her silence on the matter and said-
“I had suggested him from the beginning, and he did amazing things with a character that didn’t look like much on paper. What more could you want? I have taken so much sh*t over the years about not kissing Denzel in that film. Don’t I have a pulse? Of course, I wanted to kiss Denzel. It was his idea to take the damn scenes out.”
However, respecting Denzel Washington’s decision, Julia Roberts went ahead with the alteration in the scenes. During the 2002 Academy Awards ceremony, Julia Roberts managed to steal a kiss when Denzel Washington won an Oscar for the movie Training Day.
Angelina Jolie On Working With The Academy Award-Winning Actor
Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie came together for The Bone Collector in 1999. The movie was based on the 1997 novel of the same name, authored by Jeffery Deaver. During an interview with the Dark Horizon, the Mr. And Mrs. Smith actor made interesting confessions about working with Denzel Washington. While referring to an intimate scene with the American Gangster actor, Angelina Jolie stated that it was the “best s*x” she ever had. She said-
“What’s fascinating are the journeys these two characters undertake and the deep relationship that evolves between them … The best sex I ever had was in this movie. It was great seducing someone with your mind, a huge turn-on.”
The Eternals actor also revealed that she always felt that she was not good enough while filming the movie. She recalled-
“It was really lonely and I went a bit nuts. From the beginning, I felt as if I was not capable of doing this, of leading a film and being responsible for this, of physically handling this, of saving a life and going in there and being a cop … It was just all those things by yourself: Am I good enough, am I worth anything, really, on a spiritual deep level?”
Angelina Jolie had a tough time playing the character of Amelia Donaghy in The Bone Collector. According to the Marvel actor, she went nuts while filming the movie, as the complex nature of the character took a toll on the actor’s mental health.
The Bone Collector is available for streaming on Peacock.
Source: Cheat Sheet
