“He’s the one who really pushed me”: Denzel Washington’s Son Made Him Play Iconic Villain Role in 2001 Movie
A few actors in Hollywood have larger-than-life stardom and hate being in the media spotlight- Denzel Washington is one of them. He has been a part of many critically acclaimed projects and has been entertaining us for multiple decades. The two times Academy Award recipient’s exceptionally brilliant filmography needs no introduction to the world of cinema.
The American actor was lauded for his role in 2001 released action-thriller Training Day. He even went on to earn an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role for Training Day. However, according to the actor, his son was the sole reason behind his prestigious win.
Denzel Washington Credits His Son For His Training Day Role
Denzel Washington portrayed the character of the antagonist Alonzo Harris in Antoine Fuqua’s Training Day. During an interview with the entertainment outlet Female, the actor confessed that his son John David had pushed him to take up the project. He confessed-
“He really pushed me to do three films. The other two were completely different. But he’s the one who really pushed me to do Training Day. He said because you’ve never done anything like that.”
While talking about playing the negative character, The Equalizer actor said-
“It’s a huge honor and privilege to play real-life heroes, but there is a different kind of excitement and reward for an actor in playing a villain. I have to admit I had a lot of fun playing Harris in Training Day. [He is an] arrogant thief, liar, killer, and egomaniac. He’s a sick, sick man who has no heart. I’ve known for a while now that I’ve wanted to play someone like Harris,”
Denzel Washington’s performance was critically acclaimed. The American crime drama is still one of the best movies in the history of cinema.
Why Denzel Washington Did Not Kiss His Co-star Julia Roberts In The Pelican Brief?
Denzel Washington stirred up controversy during the making of the legal thriller drama The Pelican Brief in 1993. The Man On Fire actor had simply refused to kiss his co-star during a scene. However, the 68-year-old actor had his specific reason not to do so. During an interview with the media outlet Cheat Sheet, Denzel Washington clearly clarified that he did not want to offend his female African fans after being criticized for kissing actor Mimi Rogers in the movie The Mighty Quinn. He mentioned-
“Black women are not often seen as objects of desire on film. They have always been my core audience.”
However, according to the rumors it was believed that the Notting Hill actor had refused to kiss Denzel Washington. Julia Roberts had squashed the weightless rumors during an interview and stated-
“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.”
The Pelican Brief was based on the 1992 novel by the same name authored by John Grisham. The movie dealt with a young law student, Darby Shaw, who ends up uncovering a huge conspiracy
The Pelican Brief is currently available on Amazon Prime.
Source: Female
