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During his initial years in Hollywood, Denzel Washington made a name for himself by starring in several revered biopics, includingMalcolm X,Cry Freedom, andThe Hurricane. But at the turn of the 21st century, the actor was adamant about shifting from playing goody-two-shoes characters, starting withTraining Day.
Although it proved to be a major turning point for his career, the drastic shift didn’t initially sit well with the NAACP, which has been celebrating the Oscar winner for decades.
NAACP was initially against Denzel Washington’sTraining Daystint
After years of playing heroic gigs, 2001’sTraining Day, which earned Washington his second Academy win, proved to be a revelation, as this kickstarted his descent into more villainous figures onscreen. Even thoughThe Equalizerstar was enticed by the prospect of leaning toward more morally troubled characters, the NAACP was initially against it.
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Recounting the NAACP’s arrival on the set,Ethan Hawke, who starred alongside the Oscar winner in the 2001 film, recalled (viaTHR),“The NAACP came to the set and said, ‘What are you doing?'”.Denzel Washingtonon the flip side was stern with his decision, as he wanted to become a role model by being good at his job, irrespective of the character’s moral compass.
And, you know, I never had a political organization talk to me about what roles I pick. And Denzel, I remember him saying, ‘What, Al Pacino can play a bad guy? Gene Hackman can play a bad guy? I can’t play a bad guy? I’m an artist. That’s how I lead, not by being some dubious role model, by only playing squeaky-clean people. I’ll be a role model by being great at my job.’
TheAmerican Gangsterstar wasn’t wrong, as his versatility has cementedthe Oscar winneras one of the most reputable figures in Hollywood.
Denzel Washington prefers bad-guy gigs over playing heroes
In contrast to more heroic roles, which defined Washington’s career in the ’80s and ’90s, Washington confessed to enjoying morally corrupt figures in the realm of acting. Considering bad guys weren’t limited by the confinements of a moral compass, Washington was allowed more leeway in the shoes of a bad guy, which wasn’t possible in the case of a historic or morally upright figure.
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Washington added (viaDigital Spy):
It’s cliche to say, but bad guys have more fun. you may get away with more. In playing a real character who’s heroic, you’re kind of stuck. There’s only so much you can get away with. But [the] bad guy can say anything.
NAACP too ended up rejoicing in the shift in the actor’s career, as Washington, a 13-time NAACP Image Award winner, was awarded the Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture accolade forTraining Day.
Training Dayis available to rent on Apple TV.
Santanu Roy
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2539
Santanu Roy is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on movies, with over 2,000 articles under his belt. He has been pursuing a degree in Animation and possesses a deep love for the medium of animation. Having spent the better part of the last two years pumping out articles for FW, Santanu excels at covering movie analysis and news surrounding Pixar, DCU, DreamWorks, and Batman’s cinematic legacy.With psychological thrillers and intimate slice-of-life dramas ranking among his favorite genres, Santanu is a big admirer of Luca Guadagnino, Shane Black, Park Chan-wook, and Brad Bird.
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Denzel WashingtonEthan Hawke
