Denzel on the Guts , Pain , Tears of ‘ Flight ’
PAGE 24 PROGRAM SUCCESS – NOVEMBER 2012
Denzel on the Guts , Pain , Tears of ‘ Flight ’
The Oscar winner says his new movie is a complex adventure . Plus : He recalls 20-year-old Malcolm X .
By : Miki Turner Guest Columnist , Los Angeles
Denzel Washington , Whip Whitaker in Flight Movie Niki Turner Los Angeles , California November 2012
When it comes to playing complex characters , there are few actors who have as much swagger as Denzel Washington . It ’ s his walk , the way he talks and how he makes that one teardrop descend from his right eye . That ’ ll get you every time . And , of course , he ’ s not too hard on the eyes , either - especially when he ’ s in uniform .
In Flight , which opens this weekend , the two-time Oscar winner uses all of his tools to play Whip Whitaker , a commercial airline pilot whose cocky demeanor is enhanced by a cocaine-and-Jack Daniels chaser . Whip , however , manages to pull a “ Sully ” and safely land a mechanically malfunctioning plane in an open field during a storm . The good news is that only six lives are lost . The bad news is that one of the fatalities is a flight attendant with whom Whip was romantically involved on the DL . By taking their secrets to her grave , she has essentially saved his career . In the end , he nails himself .
But even though Flight - which is equal parts thriller and compelling drama - is somewhat predictable , Washington appreciated the ambiguity of the script . It was one of the last ones his agent , the late Ed Limato , gave him before he died . The film also stars John Goodman , Melissa Leo and Nadine Velazquez and reunites Washington with Don Cheadle for the first time since 1995 , when they shot Devil in a Blue Dress , a film adaptation of Walter Mosley ’ s mystery-crime novel .
“ The complexity was wonderful to play ,” Washington told Program Success . “ Tough spots for me are pictures I don ’ t want to be on . [ But ] this was an adventure . Starting with the screenplay and the collaboration with the filmmaker , getting a chance to fly around in flight simulators , hanging upside down in a plane and playing a drunk … “
While it ’ s hard not to root for Whip — his courageous actions do save 100 souls and the crash isn ’ t technically his fault — Washington said
Denzel Washington as Whip Whitaker in Flight
( Paramount Pictures )
he wouldn ’ t have had much empathy for a pilot flying high . “ I believe he deserved more prison time ,” Washington said adamantly . “ I think he should have gotten at least 20 years .”
Speaking of which , that ’ s exactly how long it ’ s been since Washington played perhaps his most iconic character to date , in the film Malcolm X . The 1992 Spike Lee joint was nominated for two Oscars the following year . Washington nabbed one for best actor , and Ruth E . Carter got the other for costume design . Lee and the film were snubbed , but the director has often said that Washington , who was up against other heavyweights like Clint Eastwood , Robert Downey Jr ., Stephen Rea and eventual winner Al Pacino , was the one who was truly robbed .
“ Wow , it ’ s been 20 years ?” Washington said . “ You know , I remember the first time landing in Africa was 1986 , and I was doing a movie called Cry Freedom . And the first time landing in Egypt was on Malcolm X in ‘ 91 or ‘ 92 . It was just a powerful feeling to be able to move around with the people , and I never felt threatened or anything like that . Wow , that was 20 years ago … I was 12 when I made that !”
Although Washington declined to comment on how he felt about the X snub (“ That ’ s old news ”), he had already won an Oscar for his supporting role in 1989 ’ s Glory — the first time we saw that one tear fall . He wouldn ’ t win the big prize until 2002 , for his rogue cop performance in Training Day , on the same memorable night that Halle Berry became the first African- American woman to win best actress , and Sidney Poitier , the first brother to win best actor , was honored with a lifetime-achievement golden boy .
“ I don ’ t get all caught up in that ,” said Washington , who probably should have won for The Hurricane , a film that was released a year before Training Day ( in which he played the titular boxer wrongly convicted of murder who fought to prove his innocence ). “ The awards are nice , but it ’ s about the work . It ’ s very rare — and I read a lot of scripts — but this one , I felt like I read it in 14 minutes because I was turning the pages so fast . I couldn ’ t wait to see what was going to happen . This was one of those scripts , I had to be a part of it . It was on the page — the guts , the pain , the tears .”