Denzel Washington’s favorite movie role was a flop in 2017

In 2017, Denzel Washington spoke to Enquirer About his acting style at the age of sixty. “I’m trying to get better, this isn’t a dress rehearsal. I don’t really know how many years I have left on this planet, so I just want to maximize the effort and take advantage of the gifts I’ve been given,” Washington explained. (While his “Equalizer” films may not convey that sentiment, he’s worked on plenty of recent projects that do.) As for his favorite movie role? Washington threw the outlet a curveball, citing “Roman J. Israel, Esq.” As he put it:

“We ignore people like Roman, and it’s easy for them to fall through the cracks of society,” Washington explained. “And maybe that’s why, I can tell you that I love this guy more than any other character I’ve ever played (…) You have to love the guy. He’s trying. He’s just lonely.”

With nine Academy Award nominations and two awards, Washington’s legacy as one of Hollywood’s finest actors is well established. But even without the accolades, the man’s talent speaks for itself. Often times, this is literally the case. Alfred Hitchcock once He said François Truffaut says: “The main requirement for an actor is ability “Doesn’t Do Anything Good” — something that James Stewart, frequent Hitch collaborator, was getting to a tee. However, it could be argued that Stewart’s quiet charisma can’t quite match Denzel’s easy charisma. A man can’t make doing anything look as good as anything else. But he can also do a lot when needed, and has proven his ability to adapt across one of Hollywood’s most impressive filmographies.

This is also what makes “Roman J. Israel, Esq.” Such an unexpected project for Washington to single out — considering it received a lukewarm critical reception on its way to becoming a box office flop.

Everyone has heard of “Malcom Heck, you’re probably familiar with it Denzel’s highest-rated film on Rotten Tomatoes (“Glory,” the 1989 film in which Washington played an escaped enslaved person who becomes a soldier in one of the oldest black regiments in the Union.) But have you ever? hearing From “Roman J. Israel, Esq.”

This 2017 legal drama saw Washington portray the titular lawyer, who, despite his brilliance and principles, is sorely lacking when it comes to social skills. The neurodiverse lawyer is primarily used for research conducted by the small law firm where he works. But all the while, he was drafting a brief detailing how to reform the justice system and deal with its myriad cases. After the death of his boss and mentor, Roman is recruited by a much larger law firm run by George Pearce (Colin Farrell) and finds himself thrust into the courtroom. His activist principles are quickly tested, and Roman faces a personal crisis after being robbed by someone he tried to help. Thus, as the plot unfolds, he is forced to reckon with his growing cynicism.

The film is written and directed by Dan Gilroy, who is also a writer and director The ambitious and depraved neo-noir film “Nightcrawler”However, the film was not entirely successful. “Roman J. Israel, Esq.” It currently has 55% on Rotten tomatoes It grossed just $13 million at the box office against a budget of $22 million. Whatever the case, the film is near and dear to Washington’s heart, and for good reason.

No doubt this is part of the reason why Roman J. Israel, Esq. The film resonated with Denzel Washington because Dan Gilroy wrote the script with the actor in mind. “I came off Nightcrawler and spent eight months writing this script, and I wasn’t paid to write it. I wrote it for Denzel, even though I’d never met him,” Gilroy explained to The Inquirer. Washington was clearly impressed during his first meeting with Gilroy and agreed to star on the spot. According to the director, this enthusiasm is due to the fact that Denzel “has never played a character like this before. Many of his characters are alpha males and they are very defiant and strong.” However, it turns out that Denzel had more personal reasons for saying yes to Gilroy’s plan.

“We all know people like Roman,” Washington told The Inquirer. “I have a dear friend whose son is on the autism spectrum and works in a law firm, in a similar position to Roman (…) The thing about Roman is that he can read any book with full recall, but he can’t read people. It’s a really cool thing to play.”

According to Gilroy, Denzel was so committed to the role that he designed his own clothes for the film. However, as The Inquirer noted, his ’70s jackets and glasses apparently sparked some negative comments from online trolls, who targeted the actor’s appearance after photos of him on set surfaced. As Washington himself said: “You read these comments and think: ‘Wow, that’s the way things are.’ You get just a glimpse, just a glimpse of what people like Roman have to live with every day. It’s been enlightening.”

With that in mind, you get the feeling that Denzel Washington is very protective of his performance in “Roman J. Israel, Esq.,” especially when he goes on to explain that his sister suffers from bipolar disorder, and that while he “knows that what she has and what Roman has is very different,” he has been “looking for a long time for something that would at least allow him to go in that direction.” But it seems that, whatever his personal connection to the role, Washington also felt a deep sense of empathy for people like his ostensible lawyer.

Hence, while “Roman J. Israel, Esq.” Itself may not be ranked among Washington’s best movies everhis portrayal of the drama of the same name was strong enough to secure him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor at the 2018 Academy Awards. In fact, in contrast to the 55% rating the film received on Rotten Tomatoes, critics didn’t have much to complain about when it came to Washington’s performance in the film. As Owen Gleiberman wrote in his book diverse Movie Review “He leaves us with a character you won’t soon forget, but one you wish the movie was as painful as.” Elsewhere, in his review of Rolling StonePeter Travers wrote that “Washington digs so deep under the skin of this complex character that we can almost breathe with him. It’s a brilliant, award-level performance in a film that can barely contain it.”

Remember how “Training Day” solidified Denzel Washington as a force to be reckoned with? Fittingly, the actor himself described his Oscar-winning turn as corrupt detective Alonzo Harris in Antoine Fuqua’s 2001 crime thriller as his favorite film role years before “Roman J. Israel, Esq.” Came along.

talking to Blackfilm In 2006, Denzel explained why Alonzo was his “favorite part” up to that point of his career. When asked which roles he played were “closest to the real Denzel,” the actor replied: “There’s not one role, but I like to say Training Day.” He went on to explain that all the roles an actor plays “become a part of you,” adding:

“I would say I’m doing something different. I’m lucky to have had a lot of great experiences and travel around the world. I think going to Africa, the first time, had the biggest impact on me. ‘Freedom Cry’ because of my age, and landing in Africa. They opened the door and I thought, ‘Wow, Africa has a strong smell.’

Doing “something different” was part of what made Training Day so attractive to him. “I took 30 pictures and this is the first time I’ve played a really evil character,” Washington said. feminine in 2002. “It’s not for lack of wanting to try. It’s just that no one has asked me to play a bad guy before. This is not the way Hollywood looks at me.” He also admitted that he had “a lot of fun” playing Alonzo, describing him as “an arrogant thief, a liar, a murderer, and an egotist, (and) a sick, diseased man who has no heart.” So, as much as Denzel was enjoying the success of Training Day, he’s clearly thinking a lot about Roman J. Israel, Esq. same.