Denzel Washington Allegedly Told ‘American Gangster’ Co-Star “Don’t Ever Put Your F*ck*ng Hand On Me” During Heated Moment On Set

Denzel Washington, Josh Brolin

Denzel Washington Allegedly Told ‘American Gangster’ Co-Star “Don’t Ever Put Your F*ck*ng Hand On Me” During Heated Moment On Set

Denzel Washington’s commitment to embodying mob boss Frank Lucas in “American Gangster” apparently almost had him throwing hands with his co-star.

Josh Brolin, who played Detective Trupo opposite of Washington in the film, recently recalled nearly getting into a fight with the two-time Oscar winner, explaining Washington was deep into character during a real life tense moment.

 

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He stated:

“Denzel and I, by the way, get along very well now…We almost got into a fight.”

Continuing, Brolin says he became frustrated that day when Washington showed up late to filming with changes to the “structure” of his lines. He stated:

“So I was trying to remember the structure, and then we rehearsed…And I’m supposed to be super confident. It’s Denzel Washington, man. It’s not easy. You’re just this actor who they’re trying out, seeing if he’s the real thing or not. And I forgot a line.”

He furthered:

“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*cking put your hand on me.’ And I was like, ‘Holy sh*t, I’m gonna scrap with Denzel Washington. This is crazy.’ We’re not actors anymore, at least in my mind. In his mind, he was just doing his job.”

Brolin says that afterwards, he and Washington checked in with each other, adding:

“He was that guy. He was Frank Lucas, period. But I didn’t know. And then we got through that moment. I said, ‘Are you OK?’ He said, ‘Yeah. You?’ I said, ‘Yeah. Can I get my line?’ He said, ‘Go for it.’ It’s like he’d said what he needed to say.”

Brolin added that Washington’s skill often leaves him “in awe,” noting that he completely understands why actors put so much effort into becoming their characters.