The co-star Denzel Washington called one of the greats: “She’s gone farther than most”
Unquestionably one of the finest actors of his, or any other generation, Denzel Washington knows a thing or two about co-stars. On his way to being awarded two Oscars from ten nominations, Washington has worked with some of the very best Hollywood has to offer.
Those include the likes of Severance’s John Turturro, who has starred opposite Washington in three movies so far, and the late Sopranos star James Gandolfini, who lined up alongside the actor in films like Fallen, Crimson Tide and the remake of The Taking of Pelham 1,2,3.
He has also worked with some superb actors in his capacity as director, notably Michael B Jordan, Forest Whitaker and Viola Davis, who he cast in his movie Fences from 2016, a period drama set in the 1950s about a struggling black family in Pittsburgh.
Washington and Davis played opposite each other as husband and wife in the film that paints a picture of working-class struggle, racism and discrimination and fatherhood. It was highly critically acclaimed on release, with Davis winning an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for ‘Best Supporting Actress’ and Washington nominated for Best Picture and Best Actor.
Washington was certainly struck by Davis’ abilities while working with her, saying, “Viola is one of the great actors of all time, not just her time. She’s been recognised—obviously not too late, but later than some. But she’s gone farther than most. So, you know, which would you prefer? Some people get the opportunity early, and they’re done by Tuesday.”
Davis is now one of the most awarded actors in the industry, becoming one of only 21 people in all of history to win EGOT – an Emmy, A Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony award. A product of the Juilliard New York school for performing arts, she worked extensively in film and TV throughout the 1990s and 2000s, in addition to appearing on Broadway, until in 2011 she arrived on the global scene with her role in the big screen adaptation of The Help.
Washington is such a fan that he worked with her again on 2020’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, on which he served as producer. The story of a blues singer with a difficult life in 1920s Chicago was again critically acclaimed, with Davis scooping an Oscar nomination – it also sadly marked Chad Boseman’s final film appearance as he died during post-production.
After claiming a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2017, Davis has worked consistently, including starring in six seasons of the legal thriller How to Get Away With Murder, and she’s also been seen in sizeable movie franchises, including the Hunger Games and Suicide Squad. Her latest movie was the Presidential action film G20, although that one didn’t fare quite as well with the critics as usual.
Washington, meanwhile, is still operating at the top of his game and continues to be a bankable leading man, with one of his favourite collaborators, Spike Lee, this year casting him in Highest 2 Lowest, the update of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 classic High to Low.
It’s currently riding high as one of the most-streamed movies globally and is further proof that Washington’s recent work in the likes of The Equalizer franchise still has a huge audience. Next year, he’ll be seen in Netflix’s Here Comes the Flood as part of a cast including Robert Pattinson and Daisy Edgar-Jones, plus he’ll appear in Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther 3 for Marvel.
