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Denzel Washington’s commitment to method acting almost led to a fight with Josh Brolin while filming American Gangster. Brolin, unaware that Washington was in character, unknowingly stepped into a tense moment that could have escalated quickly. Looking back on the experience, Brolin made it clear that he and Washington are on great terms now. But on set? Different story.
“Yeah, we almost got into a fight… Denzel was a little late to set, and there was a whole thing there,” he recalled, per In Depth With Graham Bensinger. “I was trying to remember the structure, and then we rehearsed. It wasn’t that many lines, mostly mine. And I’m supposed to be SUPER confident. It’s Denzel Washington, man. It’s, like, not easy. You’re just some actor who they’re trying out, seeing if he’s the real thing or not, and I forgot a line.”
That’s when things got intense. Brolin instinctively put his hand on Washington’s shoulder, trying to keep the scene going. “And he hit my hand off. And he said, ‘Don’t ever f***ing 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.'”
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Washington was fully immersed in playing Frank Lucas, the Harlem drug kingpin at the center of American Gangster. For Josh Brolin, the moment was an unexpected lesson in how deeply some actors dive into their roles. The tension eased, and they moved forward, but that one exchange stuck with him. “And then we got through that moment. And I said, ‘Are you okay?’ 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.”
Looking back, Josh Brolin realized Denzel Washington had never broken character. That became even clearer a year later when they crossed paths again. Washington greeted him warmly, proving there were no hard feelings. Just two pros doing their job, even if one moment got too real.
Brolin’s career only skyrocketed after American Gangster. Later that same year, he starred in No Country for Old Men, which went on to win four Academy Awards. He kept delivering powerhouse performances in Milk (earning his first Oscar nomination), True Grit, the Sicario films, and Deadpool 2. Then came his most iconic role: Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, cementing him as a household name.
Today, Brolin continues proving he’s more than just a supervillain. He leads Outer Range and stars in the action-comedy Brothers alongside Peter Dinklage. And for those who want to see where it all started? American Gangster is currently streaming on Netflix.
The 2007 crime drama, directed by Ridley Scott, told the gripping story of Frank Lucas’s rise in the drug trade and Detective Richie Roberts’s pursuit to take him down. The film became an instant classic with a powerhouse cast including Washington, Russell Crowe, Cuba Gooding Jr., Idris Elba, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. And as for that almost-fight on set? It’s just another day in the life of a method actor.
For more such stories, check out Hollywood News
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