Two-time Oscar winner Denzel Washington is among those Hollywood A-listers who never faced a shortage of projects. From critically acclaimed movies to action flicks, Washington created an envious career with his commanding screen presence, memorable voice, and impeccable ability to convey emotions.
However, despite appearing in several renowned projects, Denzel Washington had one regret in his career, and it’s surrounding Morgan Freeman’s 1995 crime thriller Se7en. According to reports, Washington was offered the opportunity to appear as David Mills, in David Fincher’s film. But unfortunately, he turned down the role which later went to Brad Pitt.
David Fincher Wanted Denzel Washington to Appear in Se7en
Contributing to Hollywood with his prolific performance and memorable voice, Denzel Washington bagged several acclaimed roles and even earned two Oscars, in his decades-long career. Rising to popularity after appearing in the 1989 war drama Glory, and later appearing in Spike Lee’s 1992 masterpiece Malcolm X, Washington became a highly bankable actor.
Following his two incredible projects that catapulted his fame, Denzel Washington was eyed by filmmaker David Fincher, in the mid-90s. As he was working on his serial killer crime thriller, Se7en, Fincher wanted Washington to take on a lead role in the movie, alongside Morgan Freeman. The filmmaker thus offered the role of David Mills to the Oscar-winning actor.
Unfortunately, as per his 2018 interview with Jamie Foxx on Off Script, Denzel Washington revealed, “I turned down Seven. They wanted me to play the Brad Pitt role. I thought the script was too demonic.” According to the actor he felt, the film’s dark plot was “too demonic” compared to the type of films he routinely appeared in. Therefore, the role of David Mills went to the then-rising star Brad Pitt in the 1995 crime thriller Se7en.
Denzel Washington Regretted Turning Down the Offer
Well, not just the subject material of Se7en, but even David Fincher was a prominent reason why Denzel Washington turned down the offer. According to Collider reports, Washington was worried about working with Fincher, as back then, the director had Alien 3 as the only feature film directorial credit to his name. And even that particular film turned out so disastrous, that it nearly inspired Fincher to quit Hollywood.
Therefore, Denzel Washington rejected the offer without a doubt in his heart. But later on, the actor realized his mistake as Se7en turned into a massive hit which ended up skyrocketing Brad Pitt‘s career after his riveting performance as David Mills. Thus, although Washington admitted that the role “was for Brad at the time”, he seemingly regretted his decision. Speaking with Playboy, when Washington was asked about his career’s regret, he spoke about Se7en and shared his honest feeling.
“Seven was brought to me years ago. I said no. Brad Pitt wound up playing the part. Go figure. I blew that one. In general I’ve never been one to go after stuff. I’m not out shmoozing. There are enough roles out there for me, and they seem to come along regularly enough. Since my recent Oscar win, I’m getting more offers, though there’s a lot of garbage out there, too. It’s always hard to find good material.”
But fortunately, despite regretting his loss, after miscalculating the whole thing, Denzel Washington’s career managed to survive in the industry. Although it would have been interesting to watch the Oscar winner work with Morgan Freeman again, following their success in Glory, it wasn’t meant to happen. Eventually, Washington’s loss turned out to be a gain for Brad Pitt, as he flexed his dramatic muscles in the movie and established himself in the industry as a leading man.
Se7en (1995) is available to watch via streaming on Hulu.
