“From that came something great”: How Denzel Washington excelled despite feeling nervous on the set of ‘Gladiator II’
Actors don’t come much cooler than Denzel Washington, and it’s something that can’t be faked, no matter how hard anyone tries.
There are few things more blatant and cringeworthy than watching a decidedly uncool actor trying to perform with charm and charisma that simply isn’t there. Washington, meanwhile, positively oozes it, and he knows it, too. For his more introspective dramatic roles, the two-time Academy Award winner has to actively dial it in so that his effortless cool doesn’t affect the character.
On the other side of the coin, when he’s deliberately embodying one of the many cool cats he’s brought to the screen, it looks like the easiest thing in the world. Training Day’s Alonzo Harris is a detestable, deplorable, and downright corrupt cop who deserves everything that comes his way, but thanks to how Washington portrays him, it’s incredibly easy to see how he’s managed to get away with it.
With that in mind, it’s not unrealistic to think Washington ever gets flustered. He’s been a working actor for more than 40 years, and over half that time, he’s spent as one of the most bankable stars in the business. He’s played enough action heroes to deal with stunts, explosions, and car chases, and he’s taken to the podium plenty of times to stand in front of his peers and read a speech thanking them for celebrating his hard work.
He just doesn’t seem like somebody who’d ever get nervous, not with everything he’s achieved and accomplished. And yet, by testing out a brand new genre on the cusp of his 70th birthday and immersing himself with all of the bells and whistles that come with dipping his toes into uncharted waters, even Washington found himself wracked with nerves.
The A-list icon has worked with plenty of acclaimed filmmakers over the years, but it’s clear he’s got a soft spot for the Scott brothers. He made five films with Tony that placed him into the ‘action hero’ bracket, while the two he’s made with Ridley are the highest-grossing releases of his career. Washington had never made a big-budget historical epic before Gladiator II, and his director noticed.
“Denzel, funnily enough, was amazed by the scale of things,” Scott said to Christopher Nolan during a Q&A session. “Denzel was actually nervous. From that came something great.” It’s hard to imagine Washington being overawed or enthralled by his surroundings, but the lavish and opulent sets constructed for Gladiator II must have had that effect.
It’s not noticeable onscreen after Washington blew everybody else off of it as the nefarious Macrinus. The actor clearly had an absolute blast toeing the line between genuine malevolence and high camp in what was the best performance in the long-awaited sequel by a country mile.
