It is true that a small number of actors have the endearing roles, exceptional versatility, and indisputable charm required to draw in crowds. Denzel Washington, a legendary actor with a slew of iconic roles under his belt, unquestionably belongs in this category. Still, the two-time Academy Award winner was dogged by the curse of typecasting for playing ‘bad guy’ roles after heeding his son’s advice and breaking one of his own early rules. He has not portrayed many villains on screen, but his son, John David Washington, convinced him to take on two of his most prominent roles.
For example, Washington’s performance as Alonzo Harris in Training Day earned him the Best Actor Oscar. It was the Ballers actor, who persuaded his father to take on that role.
How Did Denzel Washington’s Son Convince His Father to Take on Villainous Roles?
With acclaimed roles in movies like Training Day and Remember the Titans, Denzel Washington has made a name for himself as a leading man throughout his career. Nevertheless, he chose to accept two villainous roles on the recommendation of his son, John David Washington, in an effort to broaden his acting career and showcase his range.
Washington won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in Training Day, a role that his son “pushed” him to take on. The Man on Fire actor once told Female:
“He really pushed me to do three films. The other two were completely different. But he’s the one who really pushed me to do Training Day. He said, because you’ve never done anything like that.”
The actor also portrayed the vicious drug lord Frank Lucas in the film American Gangster, another villainous role he took on because of his son. However, Washington disclosed that all of his children are “movie buffs”, so his son did not read the movie scripts in order to just offer his father career advice (via Female).
“I wanted him to read more so I started giving him scripts to read. All my children are movie buffs.”
It then appeared that Washington enjoyed playing villains over hero characters after experiencing what it was like to be a bad guy.
Denzel Washington Initially Never Wanted to Play the ‘Bad Guy’ Roles
Denzel Washington appeared to prefer playing villains over heroes after he experienced his first taste of villainy. He told ET that there was more freedom when playing “bad guys”:
“It’s cliche to say, but bad guys have more fun. You can 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.”
This is the reason he revealed that he thoroughly enjoyed stepping into the shoes of his Training Day character. He had spent years trying to get a role like that. He revealed in a different interview with a Female:
“It’s a huge honour and privilege to play real-life heroes, but there is a different kind of excitement and reward for an actor in playing a villain. I have to admit I had a lot of fun playing Harris in Training Day. [He is an] arrogant thief, liar, killer and egomaniac. He’s a sick, sick man who has no heart. I’ve known for a while now that I’ve wanted to play someone like Harris.”
Washington revealed that he could easily enter and exit the minds of his darker characters. But theater had taught him that he could not think of them that way, even if he was playing a villain. He once informed The Talk, saying:
“As an actor in the theater you’re taught that you never play a bad guy. You have to love who you are. You can’t say, ‘Oh, I’m a bad guy’. How do you play that?”
Washington’s choice to defy his early moral code and play evil roles turned out to be a double-edged sword. He will next be seen in Ridley Scott’s upcoming historical drama Gladiator 2. The film, which serves as a sequel to Gladiator (2000), also stars Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Pedro Pascal, and Connie Nielsen, among others.
Gladiator 2 is set to be released on November 22, 2024.
