Steven Spielberg is one of the most incredible and sought-after filmmakers today. Therefore, it is absolutely understandable why people in the film industry would look up to him for advice. Actor Denzel Washington is one of them.
With movies like The Equalizer, Fences, The Tragedy of Macbeth, and so on, Denzel Washington has proved why he belongs in the industry. The man is the personification of ‘Talent’. Now imagine a collaboration between Steven Spielberg and Denzel Washington –fireworks! Despite being amongst the best in their fields, the two have never worked on a film together. However, Steven Spielberg did make an impact on the actor’s life.
Steven Spielberg’s Advice to Denzel Washington
In an interview with Financial Times, Denzel Washington revealed the advice given to him by none other than Steven Spielberg himself. While Washington has been ruling the industry as an actor, he had also dipped his toes into the directors’ territory. The actor has directed films like Antwone Fisher, The Great Debaters, and Fences. Spielberg’s advice sort of helped shape Washington as a director.
Washington stated,
“Steven [Spielberg] told me years ago, when I was nervous about making movies: ‘Everybody steals, Denzel, but make sure to steal from the best’, I’ve been re-watching [Francis Ford] Coppola’s Godfather movies and stealing shots from them. And I’ll be stealing from Spielberg as well.”
Washington’s Fences was loved by both fans and critics. The film holds an impressive score of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes and was even nominated for four Academy Awards. Viola Davis bagged the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for the film. It looks like Spielberg’s advice really helped Washington out a lot!
Steven Spielberg’s Advice to Aspiring Filmmakers
Spielberg is not at all stingy when it comes to giving out advice to those who may be in need of some. And with knowledge like his, any advice he has for anyone undoubtedly holds great value. It’s a good thing he does not hold back when it comes to helping someone out.
Spielberg had some advice for young, aspiring filmmakers who one day wish to reach the top. While you might think the director explained the technicalities of filmmaking, his advice was more on a more personal level. Talking to Collider, he stated,
“The only piece of advice I love to give is don’t worry so much about technique and don’t worry so much about where to put the camera or have a light. Worry about one thing or think about one thing, preoccupy yourself with, how do you tell a story that’s really interesting, that you can get somebody not to walk out of the room right in the middle of your second act of your telling the story?”
Spielberg continued,
“How do you just tell a story that people lean into what you’re saying and they don’t lean back, they don’t start looking around the room? Find a way first, a compelling way to express your art through your storytelling. Once you’ve got that, there’s a lot of people in this world that will get around you and show you the ropes, but learning how to be a storyteller is the most important advice I can give you.”
Now that’s an example of sound advice! Well, if you are trying your hand at the art of filmmaking, is there a director who is more credible than Spielberg to take advice from?
Source: Financial Times; Collider
