Denzel Washington is one of the most respected and prolific actors in Hollywood. The two-time Oscar winner is often considered to be one of the greatest actors of the generation. He has worked with acclaimed directors such as Spike Lee, Tony Scott, Ridley Scott, Antoine Fuqua, and more. He won the Oscar for the films Glory and Training Day.
While Washington established himself as a dramatic actor, the Malcolm X star also broke boundaries and stereotypes as a bankable action star. He featured in films such as The Equalizer franchise and Inside Man. One of Washington’s most memorable performances was when he starred in Tony Scott’s action cult classic Man on Fire.
Screenwriter Brian Helgeland Had A Different Ending In Mind For Man On Fire
Denzel Washington was reportedly cast as John Crease in Man on Fire by director Tony Scott after the role was offered to multiple stars at the time. Washington and Scott had previously worked on Crimson Tide and would go on to work in three more films before Scott’s untimely death in 2012. Robert De Niro and Gene Hackman were reportedly considered for the lead role before Washington (via AMC).
The film was written by screenwriter Brian Helgeland, who won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for the film L.A. Confidential. The writer has also directed films such as Payback, A Knight’s Tale, and The Order. Helgeland reportedly changed the location to Mexico City from Italy as the former was the kidnapping capital at the time of writing. The film was based on a novel by AJ Quinnell.
Helgeland mentioned that the film had an alternate ending which the studio was not happy with. The actor sat with Inverse for an interview on the film’s 20-year anniversary and mentioned that one of his favorite scenes was Creasy’s interrogation of the character Victor Fuentes. In the scene, Washington threatens the man by placing a bomb in his rectum. Helgeland said,
“A funny thing about that scene: We had an alternate ending of the film where Denzel has a bomb up his a*s, which he uses to kill the kidnappers. That was not popular with Fox!”
The alternate ending sees Denzel Washington’s John Creasy meeting The Voice a.k.a Daniel Sanchez once he sends Dakota Fanning’s Pita home. Creasy and the Voice have a long conversation at the end of which a watch shows time running out similar to the interrogation scene with Fuentes. A bomb then explodes killing everyone in the area.
Denzel Washington Reportedly Improvised An Iconic Line From Man On Fire
Denzel Washington is known for owning every character that he plays. Be it his Oscar-winning role as Alonzo Harris in Training Day or playing the controversial activist Malcolm X in his biopic, Washington brings his own signature style to the role. The actor reportedly did the same when he starred as John Creasy in Man on Fire.
Screenwriter Brian Helgeland mentioned that he admired Washington for this quality of his. He told Inverse,
“Denzel is an incredible actor for a reason. He has all his mental installation and prep work done before he even gets on set. The great actors make each character their own, and to a large extent, a movie star plays themselves; that’s why they’re stars. Denzel and Creasy worked together in this film. When Denzel gets into character, he ad-libs, improvises, and finds meaning in strange places.”
Helgeland also mentioned one iconic dialogue from the film that Washington came up with. Man on Fire is known for its classic one-liners. This particular line reportedly comes during the same interrogation scene with Victor Fuentes. After Fuentes gives Creasy the relevant information, Creasy proceeds to leave as there are only forty seconds left for the bomb to explode.
When Fuentes asks for a last wish, Washington says, “I wish you had more time”. Helgeland said,
“That stone-cold delivery of ‘Last wish? I wish you had more time’ was all Denzel. As a writer, you want your lines to be delivered well, and there’s nobody better than him.”
After uttering the line, Denzel Washington walks away from the explosion in style. The scene is often considered to be one of the most iconic scenes in the cult classic.
Man on Fire is streaming on Netflix.
