The movie Denzel Washington made because his barber told him to: “I always give him the script”
There’s no rhyme or reason to what convinces an actor to play a role; it could be the director, the cast, the script, the locations, the chance to try something different, or, in the case of Denzel Washington, a personal recommendation from the guy who cuts his hair.
As a two-time Academy Award winner, a modern great, and one of the industry’s few remaining bankable names, Washington has earned the right to do whatever he wants, and what he’s decided he wants to do is alternate between smaller, character-driven stories, and the mid-budget action thrillers that audiences can always be relied on to show up for on their opening weekend.
After hinting that retirement may not be too far away, though, Washington appears to be branching out. His scenery-chewing turn in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II was both the most expensive film he’s ever been in, the highest-grossing release of his career, and the first time he’d appeared in a full-blown historical epic.
He’s also confirmed that he’s the next A-lister in line to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe after letting it slip, much to Ryan Coogler’s chagrin, that he was on board for the filmmaker’s third Black Panther. That won’t be his debut in a comic book flick, though, with Washington having crossed that off his to-do list more than a decade ago when he starred in Baltasar Kormákur’s 2 Guns.
A watchable enough buddy caper that partnered him with Mark Wahlberg, the film did a decent turn at the box office, but not enough to turn the adaptation of Steven Grant and Mateus Santolouco’s graphic novel into the money-spinning franchise that the studio was hoping for.
Since Washington has claimed that he’s never really been a movie guy, despite making it his livelihood for over 40 years, it’s no surprise that when he signed on for 2 Guns, he had no idea of its origins. “I didn’t really know about the graphic novel,” he told Collider. “I just read the script and laughed and gave it to the people that I trust, like my kids, my barber.”
If anyone thought that he was kidding, the star confirmed that any time he’s considering a new acting gig, his trusted barber is always one of the first people he sounds out. “It’s true!” he added. “I always give him the script. I’m like, ‘What do you think?’ He goes, ‘Ah, that’s funny, you haven’t done that thing!'”
The unnamed barber is correct, with 2 Guns marking the first time Washington had headlined a two-hander with its tongue placed firmly in cheek. What happens when his confidant warns him against taking a role that doesn’t pass the smell test? As Washington acknowledged, he was proven entirely correct.
“Yeah, yeah,” he responded when asked if his barber told him he didn’t like the script for a movie he did anyway. “We won’t say on what. I should’ve listened.” 2 Guns was no great shakes, but if it’s good enough for Washington’s barber, then it’s good enough for the man himself.
