The movie Denzel Washington refused to make: “It was terrible”
It’s hard to believe that there was ever a time when Denzel Washington wasn’t famous. Few modern actors have had the impact or popularity that he has, and at this point, he is one of the only stars who can single-handedly carry a movie. But once upon a time, he struggled to break into the business like so many young actors.
He had spent the first few years of his career in the theatre, earning praise but few offers to transition into movies. He landed a recurring role on the television series St Elsewhere, which got his foot in the door for other small-screen opportunities and eventually caught the eye of Hollywood. His second film was A Soldier’s Story, directed by the great Norman Jewison. Washington only played a small role, but the opportunity to work with the revered Academy Award nominee behind In the Heat of the Night and Fiddler on the Roof was something any young actor would dream of.
His third film was equally enviable. Power was a political drama directed by Sidney Lumet, the legendary auteur behind 12 Angry Men, Dog Day Afternoon, and Network. It wasn’t well-received, but Washington earned an NAACP Image Award for ‘Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture’.
Based on these two early movies, you’d think Washington would have people falling over themselves to cast him in major Hollywood productions. Instead, he found himself being offered the type of rubbish that belonged in an R-rated parody about the worst clichés of the film industry. In an interview with The Talks in 2012, the actor recalled what was hopefully the most reprehensible of them all.
“One of them I called The Ni**er They Couldn’t Kill,” he said. “It was terrible.”
They tried to make it more palatable by telling him it was a comedy, but that wasn’t encouraging either. Still, he needed to work, so it wasn’t an obvious no. “They were going to pay me a lot of money, and I really thought about it,” he said. “But I didn’t do it.”
It turned out to be one of the best decisions of his career. Six months later, he was cast in the apartheid-era biopic Cry Freedom, directed by Richard Attenborough. Playing South African activist Steve Biko, Washington finally had the opportunity to show his talents. The film was nominated for three Oscars, including ‘Best Supporting Actor’ for Washington. The experience reinforced an important lesson that he learned from one of his heroes.
“Sidney Poitier told me many, many years ago that the first four or five movies that you do will determine how you’re perceived in the business,” he said. “So I was very blessed that the second movie I did was with Norman Jewison, the third movie I did was with Sidney Lumet, and the fourth movie I did was Cry Freedom with Richard Attenborough.”
Now, he pays that advice forward. “That’s what I tell young actors,” he said. “You don’t have to compromise. Go do some theatre and wait.” It certainly worked for him.
