Denzel Washington is an actor who has had the perfect career trajectory. The actor started on the stage and kept rising till he became a movie star. He earned his first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the film Glory. After a series of roles that were acclaimed and made him a household name, he finally won the Best Actor Oscar for Training Day.
However, despite his major successes, the actor still has a few regrets and admits that he made a few mistakes. The actor recalled that he had rejected Tony Gilroy’s Michael Clayton, which earned lead actor George Clooney a Best Actor nomination at the Academy Awards.
The Various Roles Of Denzel Washington
Denzel Washington has been considered to be one of the most glorious African-American actors working in Hollywood right now. The Equalizer star’s influence in cinema has been compared to that of Sydney Poitier, who has also acknowledged Washington’s contribution to the industry.
Washington was instrumental in breaking the stereotype about how black characters were depicted in films. He headlined war films such as Glory, A Soldier’s Story, and Cry Freedom. He starred as the sole lawyer who agrees to fight for Tom Hanks’ character in Philadelphia. He played inspirational black figures in films such as Malcolm X and The Hurricane. He was the perpetual good guy.
He also became an action star in films like Man on Fire, Unstoppable, Safe House, and The Equalizer franchise. He broke his own stereotype when he chose to play the corrupt LAPD officer Alonzo Harris in Antoine Fuqua’s Training Day. The role won him an Oscar for Best Actor. He turned director with the drama Fences, in which he also starred along with Viola Davis, who won an Oscar for Best Actress. He also directed the romantic drama A Jurnal for Jordan.
Why Did Denzel Washington Reject Michael Clayton?
Despite such an illustrious career, Denzel Washington admits that he regrets refusing certain films. The actor revealed in an interview with GQ about the films that he rejected and the reasons why. One of the films he said no to was David Fincher’s Seven. The neo-noir thriller became a landmark film and was one of the breakthrough performances of Brad Pitt. It also put director David Fincher on the map.
Washington was probably approached to play the role of Detective William Somerset, which was eventually played by Morgan Freeman. While Washington did not reveal his reasons for rejecting Seven, he did mention that he also rejected the 2007 legal thriller Michael Clayton, which eventually went to George Clooney. Washington told GQ in 2012,
“With Clayton, it was the best material I had read in a long time, but I was nervous about a first-time director, and I was wrong. It happens.”
The first-time director that Denzel Washington mentioned was Tony Gilroy, who was at the time known for his screenwriting work in the Bourne franchise. The writer-director had only worked on the franchise and had writing credits on films such as Armageddon.
Gilroy made his directorial debut with Michael Clayton, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director, Best Picture, and Best Original Screenplay. Lead actor George Clooney was nominated for Best Actor, and actress Tilda Swinton won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
Denzel Washington also mentioned that he lost out on the chance to be a part of films like Platoon and Full Metal Jacket. About the latter, he mentioned that he wanted to read the script but director Stanley Kubrick would not allow it.
Michael Clayton is available for rent on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+.
Source: GQ
