Josh Brolin on near brawl with Denzel Washington on set
Josh Brolin revealed that he and Denzel Washington almost fought on the set of "American Gangster." The actor discussed the tense situation during an interview on "In Depth with Graham Bensinger."
In Ridley Scott's 2007 film, Josh Brolin played a corrupt cop trying to control Frank Lucas, portrayed by Denzel Washington, the drug kingpin of Harlem. In a recent interview, Brolin recalled working with Washington and described an incident that nearly led to a fight on set.
"We almost got into a fight," said Brolin. He shared that producer Brian Grazer had commended his scenes with Russell Crowe, which could have come to Washington's attention. Reflecting on the experience, he admitted that he hadn’t considered Denzel's perspective, focusing instead on the excitement of collaborating with such an iconic figure.
Brolin noted that Washington behaved differently on set: Denzel was a little late to set and there was a whole thing there. And then he showed me the lines…he didn’t change any of my lines, but he kind of changed the structure of it. He said, ‘I think I’m gonna put this down here and I’m gonna put that up there.’ But he wouldn’t really look at me."
During rehearsal, Brolin forgot his lines and touched Washington's shoulder, asking, "I forgot a line. And I put my hand on his shoulder and I said, ‘What’s the line?’ and he hit my hand off and he said, ‘Don’t ever f—ing put your hand on me.’
"I was like, ‘Holy shit, I’m gonna scrap with Denzel Washington. This is crazy,'" admitted Brolin. The actor later realized that Washington was simply "doing his job" and staying in character. "We get along well now," he emphasized.
Brolin pointed out that these scenarios are frequent among actors, mentioning that he had come across similar anecdotes about Robert Duvall. He expressed understanding, saying that working with a legendary figure in film often sparks the desire to share a memorable experience with them.
"American Gangster" - what is the film about?
Gangster Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) builds a massive drug empire in New York. Honest detective Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe) is on his trail. Ridley Scott's film was very popular. The director and Washington were nominated for Golden Globes but were overlooked at the Oscars in 2008.
Denzel Washington and Ridley Scott recently reunited on set. They filmed "Gladiator 2" together, which is already in theatres. You can admire Josh Brolin in "Dune 2." The actor is currently promoting his biography.
