denzel washington 1
TRANSCRIPT
november 08, 2007/www.rollingout.com18
DENZELUnparalleled Dignity
NEW YORK – A battalion of ominous black storm clouds, teeming
with atmosphere-altering motives, invades the airspace above Upper
Manhattan and menacingly sizes up the world-renowned Apollo Theater.
The sun, which threw down a blanket of warmth just moments earlier,
beats a hasty retreat behind the horizon. These aerial intruders seem
intent on mocking this most momentous (and rarest) of occasions as it prepares Harlem
and the world premiere of American Gangster for a torrential thrashing.
But for all of its pretense and posturing, the clouds merely belched some minor
precipitation, opting instead to survey the sensational spectacle below. There were enough
stars in attendance to decorate a Christmas tree in Times Square. The requisite contingent
of hip-hop stars were orbited by a constellation of hangers-on, and fl anked by female
groupies with enough meat on them to feed a pride of lions for a week.
Denzel Hayes Washington Jr., regal in presence and resplendent in appearance, looked
at least 10 years younger than his 52 years. The acclaimed actor approached the red
carpet following a palatial procession of family, friends and dignitaries which included;
his wife of 24 years, Pauletta (Pearson) Washington, Diddy, Jay-Z, TV empress Barbara
Walters, Method Man, L.A. Reid, Judge Greg Mathis and Rev. Al Sharpton, as well as
A-list thespians Diane Lane, Armand Assante, Josh Brolin and Cuba Gooding Jr. Notables
like Destiny’s Child’s Michelle Williams, comedian Damon Wayans, and Mel Gibson came
out to the Los Angeles premiere a week later. Just before the red carpet tent was closed,
Washington and those massive walls of humanity called his bodyguards escorted the local
hero to the pandemonium behind the barricades to shake hands with his frenetic fans.
When they saw their “Denzel” coming, they unfurled bloodcurdling screams that were loud
enough to halt birds in mid-fl ight.
The fact that organizers chose to hold the premiere and afterparty in Harlem was
shocking to most reporters, who are accustomed to the more ostentatious hotel palaces
further south in Midtown Manhattan. Another departure from convention was the decision
by Hollywood moguls to shell out big money to make the fi lm, American Gangster, about
African American crime fi gure Frank Lucas. Detailed extensively in national publications,
Lucas’ real-life story is astonishing to most, because of the sheer depth and scope of
his international empire and the absolute audacity of his will. Frank Lucas was a ‘70s-
era gangster whose meteoric rise in the international heroin enterprise elevated his status
above that of the Italian Mafi a — even to the point that some of the mafi osi worked for him.
So when Washington is asked about where American Gangster falls within the pantheon
of classic gangster fi lms (i.e., the Godfather trilogy, Goodfellas, Scarface, etc.), he speaks
about this crime of omission in the nation’s history.
“Well, I can say for one, of all those fi lms that you mentioned, there [are] no black people
in any of them,” says the two-time Academy Award winner. “So for one, this is a Harlem
story about a guy who’s a kingpin, a different kind of kingpin. The situation is basically
the same, different movies of course, the business was the same. But this is different; it’s
dealing with a guy from Uptown.”
Washington’s family is also from Uptown (his mother was born in Harlem and he was
raised in nearby Mount Vernon, N.Y.), which partially explains why locals treat him like a
priceless artifact. After three decades in the business, Washington is accustomed to such
genufl ection whenever he ventures out into public . What is not so well-known is the universal
admiration he garners from those in the industry. There is something about the man known
simply as Denzel, that after
having worked with him, actors
emerge from the collaboration
as if they’ve experienced a
religious conversion. And we’re
not just talking about B-level,
nebulous schlebs panting over
Washington like lapdog fl unkies.
These are longtime moviemakers
and thespians that often
provide unsolicited testimony to
Washington’s singular greatness.
Two-time Oscar winner Tom
Hanks (Forrest Gump) called
his work with Washington on
Philadelphia like “going to
fi lm school,” adding that he
learned more about acting from
Washington than anyone he ever
met. Last year, two-time Academy
Award winner Jodie Foster, who
starred opposite Washington in
Inside Man, fawned over him like
a teenager with a crush, saying
“he is simply the best actor I’ve
ever worked with.”
And who will ever forget
the frenetic, one-woman
cheerleading campaign Julia
Roberts engineered to help (in
her mind, anyways) Washington
bring home the Oscar for Training
Day in 2001. “He is the best
actor of this generation, hands
down. I cannot absorb living in a
world where I have an Oscar for
Best Actress, and Denzel doesn’t
have one for Best Actor,” Roberts
told People magazine that year.
“He should be on his third Oscar
by now, and that might not be
enough.”
His extraordinary acting skills
alone aren’t the only justifi cation
for the level of respect he
receives inside and outside the
industry. True, Washington has
cover story
Black America has long been fascinated by the talented Mr. Washington … but so has everyone else. Here are some of the roles that have helped
Washington transcend the color barrier.
Glory (1989) Pvt. Trip
Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
Don Pedro of Aragon
The Pelican Brief (1993)
Gray Grantham
Philadelphia (1993)
Joe Miller
Crimson Tide (1995)
Lt. Commander Ron Hunter
Courage Under Fire (1996)
Lt. Colonel Nathaniel Serling
The Bone Collector (1999)
Lincoln Rhyme
Remember the Titans (2000)
Coach Herman Boone
Training Day (2001) Alonzo
The Manchurian Candidate
(2004) Ben Marco
Mass Appeal
Words by Terry Shropshire
Images by Hiltron Bailey for Steed Media Service
november 08, 2007/www.rollingout.com18