Denzel Washington names the directors he stole from: “I didn’t understand how hard their job was”
Whether intentionally or subconsciously, any experienced actor who takes their first steps into directing will adopt and apply techniques they picked up from the filmmakers they’ve worked with. Denzel Washington has collaborated with a few, but at least he was open about his blatant thievery.
The two-time Academy Award winner hasn’t been anywhere near as prolific as many other actors-turned-directors, though, helming only four features since he debuted with 2002’s biographical drama Antwone Fisher, and all of them have been smaller character-driven pieces.
His most successful venture from behind the camera by far came when he adapted August Wilson’s play Fences for the big screen, which earned twice as much at the box office as any of the other three and remains the only one to receive major awards recognition, including a ‘Best Picture’ nod at the Oscars.
Steven Spielberg first instilled in Washington the notion that there was nothing new anybody could bring to the table. He casually suggested that the star simply do what he’d done and lift liberally from Akira Kurosawa’s back catalogue, which worked out pretty well for the single highest-grossing director in the history of cinema.
It may not be entirely reflective of his own sensibilities as a filmmaker, but Washington named several recurring creative partners as the ones he’s happy to steal from. It’s been a long time since he worked with Spike Lee, and his movies with both Antoine Fuqua and Tony Scott are largely thrillers punctuated by bursts of action, but their influence was about more than staging a set piece.
“I didn’t understand how hard their job was until I tried to do it,” he admitted to The Hollywood Reporter. “And then I just stole from them; shots, just ways of working, preparation.” Another directorial legend he’d worked with very early on his career came in very handy, too, with Washington utilising it as part of his own process on Fences.
“Sidney Lumet, I did a movie called Power in 1985, and Sidney stood the whole screenplay up on its feet like a play,” he continued. “That’s what we did when we rehearsed for a couple of weeks. We stood it up to catch the young folks up but also to give us a sense, to bridge the gap between the play and the movie.”
As far as pockets to pick go, delving into those sported by Lee, Fuqua, Scott, and Lumet isn’t the worst idea in the world, with all of them enjoying hugely successful careers. Washington has always been more focused on his acting than his filmmaking, but that could change in the future if he’s now reached a point where he’s claiming there aren’t many starring roles left for him to play.
