Angelina Jolie and Denzel Washington are an unlikely onscreen pair, but the one movie they worked together in, The Bone Collector, grossed $151.5 million on a budget of $48 million. The 1999 dark thriller found Jolie’s character on the hunt for a serial killer. The film was a turning moment in her career. Even though the movie was panned by critics, most praised Jolie’s acting. One another person who was in awe of her acting skills was her co-star Denzel Washington. For him, it was the film where Jolie justified her father’s legacy.
Denzel Washington Praises Angelina Jolie
During an interview with Tim Lammers, Denzel Washington praised Angelina Jolie’s acting in The Bone Collector and complimented her for successfully carrying on the family legacy. The acclaimed actor said:
“When I first saw her in Gia, I was like, ‘Wow, this girl is really, really good.’ And I didn’t know, she probably didn’t like to talk about it too much, but I didn’t know who her father was. A great actor, Jon Voight. So she’s got the genes.”
Jolie found the 1999 film challenging, but she accepted the film since it offered an experience that no other film in her career had given her till then. However, shooting the film was such an intense experience that the actress found herself driven to the point of insanity due to the mental and emotional rollercoaster her character went through in the movie.
The Bone Collector Nearly Drove Angelina Jolie Insane
In an interview with Dark Horizons, Angelina Jolie talked about her experience filming The Bone Collector and commented on how it affected her mental health. She said:
“This one was less extreme but nearly drove me insane because she was so insane inside. Sometimes with the extreme ones, you’re a character so you are free; this one was like: Be yourself, let those tears fall, be simple, and be still. You can’t hide. Sometimes it can be harder.”
While Denzel Washington was praising Jolie’s suave acting in the film, the leading lady found herself questioning if she even deserved to be in the project. As per Jolie:
“It was really lonely and I went a bit nuts. From the beginning, I felt as if I was not capable of doing this, of leading a film and being responsible for this, of physically handling this, of saving a life and going in there and being a cop. It was just all those things by yourself: Am I good enough, am I worth anything, really, on a spiritual deep level? You start to get into those things and this is what she had to go through, and then get through it.”
Jolie’s two Academy Awards are proof of her acting talent. Washington is also not behind and has two Oscars wins of his own as well. While the two co-stars never reunited for another project, the film seems to have left a lasting mark on their careers.
The Bone Collector is streaming on Netflix.
Source: Tim Lammers and Dark Horizons
