Denzel Washington explains the inspiration of Robert De Niro
By the time Denzel Washington made his feature debut in 1981’s Carbon Copy, Robert De Niro was already well on his way to becoming known as one of the greatest actors of the modern era.
With two Academy Award wins under his belt and acclaimed roles in the likes of The Godfather Part II, Taxi Driver, New York, New York, The Deer Hunter, and Raging Bull having turned him into a superstar, achieving that sort of success seemed unattainable to Washington at the dawn of his own career.
Of course, the two of them are now part of virtually every conversation trying to determine the best to ever do it, with the latter having notched two Oscars of his own from 11 nominations. However, during the years he first fell in love with cinema, Washington didn’t think there was a place for him as a certifiable leading man.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, he explained that as much as he enjoyed their work, the biggest stars at the time didn’t convince him silver screen stardom was a necessity: “I started seeing Taxi Driver, Mean Streets, Straight Time, Marathon Man – anybody with an ‘O’ – Pacino, De Niro, Hoffman-o,” he said. “I didn’t see anybody who looked like me, so I didn’t aspire to act in movies, but I liked those New York movies.”
That didn’t stop him from being mesmerised by their work, though, as Washington recalled a pivotal moment from The Godfather Part II to GQ that taught him a lot without a single line of dialogue: “De Niro’s in a theatre. And he’s looking back. It’s just a look,” he continued. “I don’t think I’ve ever imitated another actor, but there’s nothing wrong with learning from them.”
They’ve never worked together on a project, but that didn’t prevent Washington from once again naming “anybody whose last name ends in an ‘O'” as his ideal collaborator. Admitting that “I cut my teeth watching them,” he name-dropped Laurence Olivier as another touchstone during the time he was developing his own acting style.
Whereas “the method guys were inside-out,” Olivier was “an outside-in kind of guy,” with Washington seeking to use a little bit of both. He never wanted to copy what De Niro and his peers were doing, but it nonetheless helped open his eyes to the smaller details, something that would serve him incredibly well as his own career continued to gather steam well into the 1990s and beyond.
As of yet, Washington still hasn’t been afforded the opportunity to work with De Niro, Pacino, or Hoffman-o, but he’s never been shy in praising the impact they made on an impressionable youngster who didn’t even dream of being in movies when first starting out. These days, he’s one of the most popular and bankable stars at Hollywood’s disposal, and has been for some time.
