The only two movies Denzel Washington was allowed to watch growing up: “That was it”
Some people are drawn to the performing arts because they were exposed to it from a young age, going to music classes or watching old movies with their families. But for people like Denzel Washington, who was barely allowed to watch movies growing up and didn’t discover his passion for acting until much later, his inspiration had to come from other sources.
After performing in a staff talent show when working at a summer camp in Connecticut, Washington was advised by a fellow colleague to seriously consider acting. He began studying at the American Conservatory Theater and quickly found roles in off-broadway plays and small films, acting alongside esteemed actors such as Morgan Freeman in his early 20s.
With an illustrious career that has spanned over three decades, it’s all the more impressive that Washington was able to build this from scratch, with hardly any exposure to filmmaking during his childhood, but inspiration has to come from somewhere, right?
When asked about the films that inspired him as a young person, Washington said, “My father was a minister so we grew up in a church and we didn’t go to the movies… King of Kings and The Ten Commandments and that was it. Appearing in a western wasn’t like some childhood dream.”
The western that Washington refers to is Antoine Fuqua’s The Magnificent Seven, in which he plays a warrant officer called Sam Chisholm who must defend his town against a group of gold miners. While the films he watched as a child appear to be polar opposites, there are more similarities than you’d think.
King of Kings was directed in 1961 by Nicholas Ray, and a bit of a curveball within the context of his filmography. The director is most known for Rebel Without a Cause and In a Lonely Place, so a biblical drama about the life of Jesus feels rather left-field compared to the dare-devil figures that he usually depicts. But the film is similar in scale to a western: a sweeping epic filmed in a dusty landscape, with classic power struggles and standoffs between rattled men. It’s rooted in realism despite feeling quite fantastical, with grand action sequences and lavish production design that add to the immersion of the setting.
The Ten Commandments is tonally very different, feeling more like a biblical cartoon or fairy tale than a western, with stylised costumes and a vibrant colour palette that feels more akin to Powell and Pressburger production, following the life and struggles of Moses. Whilst I’d struggle to see this as a direct influence on The Magnificent Seven, Washington has played the role of the leader many times throughout his career, playing Macbeth, Robert McCall and Macrinus in the upcoming Gladiator sequel.
Despite his later introduction to the world of movies, this has not hindered Washington in any way, and his extensive body of work showcases his love of movies from all genres, continuing to make work that challenges and pushes him as a performer.
