Denzel Washington 1

november 08, 2007/www.rollingout.com18

DENZELUnparalleled Dignity

NEW YORK – A battalion of ominous black storm clouds, teeming

with atmosphere-altering motives, invades the airspace above Upper

Manhattan and menacingly sizes up the world-renowned Apollo Theater.

The sun, which threw down a blanket of warmth just moments earlier,

beats a hasty retreat behind the horizon. These aerial intruders seem

intent on mocking this most momentous (and rarest) of occasions as it prepares Harlem

and the world premiere of American Gangster for a torrential thrashing.

But for all of its pretense and posturing, the clouds merely belched some minor

precipitation, opting instead to survey the sensational spectacle below. There were enough

stars in attendance to decorate a Christmas tree in Times Square. The requisite contingent

of hip-hop stars were orbited by a constellation of hangers-on, and fl anked by female

groupies with enough meat on them to feed a pride of lions for a week.

Denzel Hayes Washington Jr., regal in presence and resplendent in appearance, looked

at least 10 years younger than his 52 years. The acclaimed actor approached the red

carpet following a palatial procession of family, friends and dignitaries which included;

his wife of 24 years, Pauletta (Pearson) Washington, Diddy, Jay-Z, TV empress Barbara

Walters, Method Man, L.A. Reid, Judge Greg Mathis and Rev. Al Sharpton, as well as

A-list thespians Diane Lane, Armand Assante, Josh Brolin and Cuba Gooding Jr. Notables

like Destiny’s Child’s Michelle Williams, comedian Damon Wayans, and Mel Gibson came

out to the Los Angeles premiere a week later. Just before the red carpet tent was closed,

Washington and those massive walls of humanity called his bodyguards escorted the local

hero to the pandemonium behind the barricades to shake hands with his frenetic fans.

When they saw their “Denzel” coming, they unfurled bloodcurdling screams that were loud

enough to halt birds in mid-fl ight.

The fact that organizers chose to hold the premiere and afterparty in Harlem was

shocking to most reporters, who are accustomed to the more ostentatious hotel palaces

further south in Midtown Manhattan. Another departure from convention was the decision

by Hollywood moguls to shell out big money to make the fi lm, American Gangster, about

African American crime fi gure Frank Lucas. Detailed extensively in national publications,

Lucas’ real-life story is astonishing to most, because of the sheer depth and scope of

his international empire and the absolute audacity of his will. Frank Lucas was a ‘70s-

era gangster whose meteoric rise in the international heroin enterprise elevated his status

above that of the Italian Mafi a — even to the point that some of the mafi osi worked for him.

So when Washington is asked about where American Gangster falls within the pantheon

of classic gangster fi lms (i.e., the Godfather trilogy, Goodfellas, Scarface, etc.), he speaks

about this crime of omission in the nation’s history.

“Well, I can say for one, of all those fi lms that you mentioned, there [are] no black people

in any of them,” says the two-time Academy Award winner. “So for one, this is a Harlem

story about a guy who’s a kingpin, a different kind of kingpin. The situation is basically

the same, different movies of course, the business was the same. But this is different; it’s

dealing with a guy from Uptown.”

Washington’s family is also from Uptown (his mother was born in Harlem and he was

raised in nearby Mount Vernon, N.Y.), which partially explains why locals treat him like a

priceless artifact. After three decades in the business, Washington is accustomed to such

genufl ection whenever he ventures out into public . What is not so well-known is the universal

admiration he garners from those in the industry. There is something about the man known

simply as Denzel, that after

having worked with him, actors

emerge from the collaboration

as if they’ve experienced a

religious conversion. And we’re

not just talking about B-level,

nebulous schlebs panting over

Washington like lapdog fl unkies.

These are longtime moviemakers

and thespians that often

provide unsolicited testimony to

Washington’s singular greatness.

Two-time Oscar winner Tom

Hanks (Forrest Gump) called

his work with Washington on

Philadelphia like “going to

fi lm school,” adding that he

learned more about acting from

Washington than anyone he ever

met. Last year, two-time Academy

Award winner Jodie Foster, who

starred opposite Washington in

Inside Man, fawned over him like

a teenager with a crush, saying

“he is simply the best actor I’ve

ever worked with.”

And who will ever forget

the frenetic, one-woman

cheerleading campaign Julia

Roberts engineered to help (in

her mind, anyways) Washington

bring home the Oscar for Training

Day in 2001. “He is the best

actor of this generation, hands

down. I cannot absorb living in a

world where I have an Oscar for

Best Actress, and Denzel doesn’t

have one for Best Actor,” Roberts

told People magazine that year.

“He should be on his third Oscar

by now, and that might not be

enough.”

His extraordinary acting skills

alone aren’t the only justifi cation

for the level of respect he

receives inside and outside the

industry. True, Washington has

cover story

Black America has long been fascinated by the talented Mr. Washington … but so has everyone else. Here are some of the roles that have helped

Washington transcend the color barrier.

Glory (1989) Pvt. Trip

Much Ado About Nothing (1993)

Don Pedro of Aragon

The Pelican Brief (1993)

Gray Grantham

Philadelphia (1993)

Joe Miller

Crimson Tide (1995)

Lt. Commander Ron Hunter

Courage Under Fire (1996)

Lt. Colonel Nathaniel Serling

The Bone Collector (1999)

Lincoln Rhyme

Remember the Titans (2000)

Coach Herman Boone

Training Day (2001) Alonzo

The Manchurian Candidate

(2004) Ben Marco

Mass Appeal

Words by Terry Shropshire

Images by Hiltron Bailey for Steed Media Service

november 08, 2007/www.rollingout.com18