“He was Frank Lucas, period”: Josh Brolin reveals how he almost came to blows with Denzel Washington
It’s not uncommon for tensions to run high and fights to break out on the set of a film, especially amongst those at the top of the game. Many great actors throughout the generations are known for their intense personalities and difficult behaviour, especially when they tend to immerse themselves deeply into difficult roles and characters. However, one name that’s rarely on that list of intense but great actors is Denzel Washington.
While definitely on the list of the modern greats, he’s mostly known for being a pretty down-to-earth guy who is great at his job and manages to avoid much gossip. However, there are always exceptions to the rule. Josh Brolin found out this when he nearly came to blows with the legendary actor.
The two starred alongside each other in Ridley Scott’s 2007 crime drama American Gangster, Washington as real-life gangster Frank Lucas and Brolin as the corrupt Detective Trupo who he’s forced to pay off. The role actually came at a time when Washington was already well-established as a leading man in Hollywood, but Brolin’s career had been in decline after a little success in the previous decades.
Being one of the greats, Washington obviously immersed himself in the character of Frank Lucas, who was a ruthless mobster. And, while he’s not known for going overboard with method acting or being intense on set, he still brought that confidence and aggression to the role. So Brolin, playing a corrupt cop trying to blackmail him, got the full brunt of that energy.
Speaking to Variety, Brolin discussed how the near fisticuffs with Washington was instigated by the former forgetting a line during rehearsal. “Denzel was a little late to set and there was a whole thing there. And then he showed me the lines…he didn’t change any of my lines, but he kind of changed the structure of it. He said, ‘I think I’m gonna put this down here and I’m gonna put that up there.’ But he wouldn’t really look at me,” he explained.
So then Brolin did what he thought was best – he asked for his line with a friendly hand on Denzel’s shoulder. Big mistake. “He hit my hand off and he said, ‘Don’t ever fucking put your hand on me.’ And I was like, ‘Holy shit, I’m gonna scrap with Denzel Washington. This is crazy.’” And, if Washington can do such a good job that we at home can feel intimidated by him as Frank Lucas, then it’s understandable that he could have that effect in person.
Especially, when he’s at the top of his game and perhaps you aren’t, as Brolin explained. “It’s Denzel Washington, man. It’s, like, not easy — you’re just some actor who they’re trying out, seeing if he’s the real thing or not.“ But, luckily, Brolin seemed to know it was just a great actor doing his job, “In his mind, he was just doing his job. He was that guy. He was Frank Lucas, period.”
The two managed to move past the moment, with Brolin checking Denzel was good and vice versa before swiftly returning to their professionalism. While we didn’t get the insane story of how Denzel Washington and Josh Brolin got into a fight, some of that intensity is palpable in their performances in the film.
