Denzel
Washington’s latest film, the intelligent action thriller
Déjà Vu, reunites him for the third time with
director Tony Scott and producer Jerry Bruckheimer. Washington
plays agent Doug Carlin (Denzel Washington) of the U.S. Bureau
of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Brought in to track down
the perpetrator of a catastrophic explosion on a New Orleans
ferry, Carlin angrily exclaims that for once in his life
he’d like to catch someone “before they do something
horrible”, not after. By tapping into a top-secret
government project run by scientists specializing in quantum
physics, agent Carlin gets the once-in-a-lifetime chance
to do just that and attempt to prevent a crime that has already
happened. Along the way he gets ensnared in a car chase that
is simultaneously happening right this minute and four days
ago and caught up in a love affair that plays out in reverse.
This Intriguing action thriller has already earned great
reviews in U.S. and seems set to confirm Washington’s
elevated status as one of the few actors of his generation
to be both a consistent box-office draw and a critical favorite.
A two-time Oscar winner – as a Civil War soldier in
Glory and a corrupt police officer in Training Day – Washington
went to university planning to become a doctor but the acting
bug bit at the end of his first year and medicine’s
loss became Hollywood’s gain. The actor’s films
include Cry Freedom, The Hurricane, John Q, The Manchurian
Candidate, Devil in a Blue Dress, Philadelphia, The Pelican
Brief, Malcolm X, Remember the Titans (for Déjà Vu
producer Jerry Bruckheimer), Man on Fire (for Tony Scott)
and Crimson Tide (with Scott and Bruckheimer). Washington
talked to us about shooting in New Orleans post Hurricane
Katrina and what it takes to be a sex symbol.
Q: Do you get moments
of Déjà Vu?
A: Yes, I had an odd one today. I'm going to get the mail
out of the mailbox and I'm walking around out in the street
by my front gate, and I have a feeling that somebody I
know is going to drive by. I thought, I'll just stand here
another second. So I just stood out there and a white truck
comes by, stops, and Eddie Murphy jumps out the back.
Q: The film ties the
phenomenon of Déjà Vu
in with the possibility of the existence of parallel universes.
What’s your take on that?
A: I wasn’t sure about the whole parallel universe,
reversing time thing in the original script. Tony and Jerry
had to convince me that we could make it somehow plausible.
But Tony was saying, “Look, we want to steep this in
the latest scientific theory and all the recent advances
in surveillance techniques”. And a lot of what you
see in the film, particularly with regard to surveillance,
they are capable of. You only have to go on Google to look
at a satellite view of someone’s house. They’re
using that sort of stuff in Baghdad as we speak, looking
at buildings from eighteen miles above and using heat detection
to see who’s inside.
Q: How about the love
story in the film? That’s pretty
unusual too.
A: To begin with I wasn’t sure about that either. This
guy meets someone who's not even alive and then spends four
days looking at her in the past. But I just saw the finished
film a few days ago and it makes sense. I really like the
film and all the offbeat science, the love story that goes
backwards, that’s what's unique about the film.
Q: Is it easier to
take a chance on something knowing that it’s produced
by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Tony Scott?
A: Yes, definitely. It’s my third time with Tony and
third time with Jerry and, needless to say, we've had tremendous
success. Jerry just knows how to do it. I don't think there's
anybody out there as successful as he is now. And I really
enjoy working with Tony, so it makes for a pleasurable experience.
I've been at this too long for it not to be fun. It’s
sort of a no-brainer. The next time they call me, I'll be
there.
Q: You’ve made
very serious dramatic films and high-energy action movies.
Do those films each take a different approach?
A: You research, you try to develop a character and interpret
the screenplay whatever the film. But it also depends upon
the part. The Hurricane was not an action picture but I obviously
had to be in shape. In the case of Inside Man I liked the
fact that he was a little beat up, a little overweight. It
was a cheap excuse not to work out [laughs].
Q: So what did your
preparation consist of for Déjà Vu?
A: A lot of research. Tony, like myself, likes research and
he always tracks down real guys. We did it with Man on
Fire, we did it on Crimson Tide, we did it with Déjà Vu.
Jerry Rudden is an ATF guy who was instrumental in figuring
out the Oklahoma City bombing. We used his methods and
applied it directly to this film. They found small pieces
of plastic in the destruction of the Federal Building in
Oklahoma. They identified it, tracked it, found out it
came from barrels, found out where they were made, found
out where they were purchased and worked their way back.
We took that directly and applied it to our story. He would
get very tired working twenty, thirty hours at a time and
he said that if you brush your teeth it's like getting
an hour's sleep. So I put that in the movie too.
Q: The woman you fall
in love with in the film is Paula Patton, who’s pretty
much a newcomer. Any apprehension about working with someone
who has so little screen experience?
A: Tony Scott said, “This girl, you don't know her,
she hasn't done anything, but she's right for the part.” And
he was right. She has that quality that you want to care
about her, you want to take care of her. And the camera likes
her, that's for sure.
Q: Was she nervous being around you?
A: She's young as an actress and as a person and yes, she’s
got all these veterans around her, myself and Tony and Val
Kilmer among others, so she must have felt some pressure.
I just wanted to make her feel comfortable. I told her, “Look,
you're not here because you won the Miss Whatever contest.
You're the best actor for the job, Tony believes in you and
I trust Tony, so just feel free to make mistakes.” And
I really liked her enthusiasm. On those days where you just
don't feel like coming out of the trailer, you meet this
young person like Paula that's all fresh and new, and it
reminds you, it takes you back. It’s a reminder of
what a privilege it is to be in this industry and to be compensated
in an amazing and ridiculous way for doing something you
enjoy doing.
Q: Déjà Vu
was the first film to shoot in New Orleans after Hurricane
Katrina, but for a while there had been talk of shooting
in Seattle instead. Were you instrumental in the decision
to stick with New Orleans?
A: It’s Tony Scott’s movie so it was his decision.
He wanted to make the film in New Orleans before Katrina
and post-Katrina he looked at other locations that he didn't
feel comfortable about. And there was no reason to shy away
from it. It was a good thing to spend money there and put
people to work and I'm glad to have been a part of helping
to make that happen.
Q: What impact did the experience of being in New Orleans
at that moment have on you?
A: There was a lot of listening to people's stories of what
they'd been through. And just riding around and seeing the
devastation, it affects you.
Q: You've hit the
50 mark. Does it surprise you that you’re
still regarded as one of Hollywood’s sexiest leading
men?
A: I’ll be 52 in December but I don't know anything
about being sexy [laughs]. I don’t know what it means.
What was interesting to me about turning 50 is that it made
me realize that this is not the dress rehearsal. It really
hit home to enjoy every day, to try to lead a good, healthy
life and keep things simple.
Q: Does it change your perspective on your earlier life
or on your career?
A: I just don't look back. For what? To reminisce? People
say, “What's your favorite film?” I say, “My
next one”. I'm not interested in sitting around thinking
about the past. I’ve just never been that kind of a
person.
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