The legendary star Denzel Washington has built an enormous body of film work in his decades-long career, delighting fans and critics with his powerful performance. His unique acting style and dedication to his craftwork have continued to inspire and motivate millions. While delivering compelling and convincing stand-out performances is not everyone’s cup of tea, Washington has mastered this art over the years.
In his long and relentlessly impressive career, the actor has starred in dozens of action-packed, long-running series and mind-bending blockbusters, many of which have left an indelible mark on the cinema. Nevertheless, there are a few movies that the 68-year-old star has dropped and rejected. Recently, director Antoine Fuqua revealed how Washington nearly turned down to star in his 2016 American Western action flick The Magnificent Seven. The filmmaker claimed that it took a while for the actor to accept this project.
Denzel Washington’s Remarkable Portrayal as Sam Chisholm in The Magnificent Seven Movie
Denzel Washington is a brilliant actor and perhaps the most talented star of his generation whose several films have garnered worldwide attention and achieved iconic status. Washington has played many influential, unconventional, bold, complex, and challenging roles on the silver screen, and his commitment to demonstrate them accurately is inspiring. The actor has worked across all genres of movies and earned several top accolades in his celebrated career.
In 2016, the actor depicted the character of Sam Chisholm, a US Marshal warrant officer from Wichita, Kansas, in Antoine Fuqua-directed The Magnificent Seven action movie. It had an intriguing plot, plus over-the-top action scenes, and his performance was on point, earning him critical acclaim. He played his part with nuanced and naturalism, leaving the audience star-struck.
Denzel Washington Nearly Rejected to Star in Antoine Fuqua-directed Movie
Actors often reject and drop the films and roles they feel they won’t fit. The Inside Man movie star has made his fair share of mistakes in his career and has declined a few big banner projects.
In an interview, The Magnificent Seven movie director Antoine Fuqua recently revealed that Denzel Washington was initially unsure about working on the project, and he had to convince him to accept the same. Fuqua recalled his meeting with the actor and shared how he pitched him the script,
“So, the sun is coming up. This man on this black horse come.[Washington] goes, ‘Wait, what?’ I said, ‘A man on his horse,’ and Denzel’s like, ‘I’m not gonna get on a horse.’ I said, ‘No, no, let me finish! Magnificent Seven…’ And he just sat back and listened to me, let me get out my pitch.”
He continued,
“Like halfway through my pitch, I’m thinking, ‘Denzel is gonna get up and walk away at any moment. He’s gonna be like, ‘No, I’m not getting on the damn horse playing a cowboy,’ but he listened. He listened for a while. That took a while to get him to say yes to Magnificent Seven.”
Antoine Fuqua directed western action film boasts a star-studded cast ensemble featuring Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D’Onofrio, Lee Byung-hun, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Martin Sensmeier, Peter Sarsgaard, and Haley Bennett. It earned critical acclaim and grossed $162 million at the global box office against a budget of $90 million.
The Magnificent Seven is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video
Source: Collider
