Over the course of his near-half century career in movies, Denzel Washington has had the opportunity to work with some of the most talented filmmakers in the industry – including the immediate present, having just made The Tragedy Of Macbeth with Joel Coen. That being said, there are always more exciting visionaries with whom he can collaborate, and he actually has had discussions about working with some of them. But he’s not saying who.
I had the wonderful pleasure of interviewing Denzel Washington this week in advance of the streaming premiere of The Tragedy Of Macbeth – arriving on Apple TV+ – and I posed the question to him if there are specific directors with whom he hopes to work someday. The two-time Oscar-winning actor revealed that he definitely has a list that he keeps to himself, and that he’s had conversations about actually doing a project with a “couple” of them. Said Washington,
There are a couple, three, four directors that I've... a couple of which that I've actually talked to about maybe doing something down the line.
Intrigued, I followed up by asking if he could possibly drop one of their names – but he wasn’t eager to drop that information. Instead, he threw a challenge back at me, asking me to name five of the “best directors right now,” and he told me that he would let me know if I got any correct.
While my brain admittedly locked up picking a final name (specifically one with whom Denzel Washington hadn’t already worked), I listed four filmmakers whose movies I think stand above everyone else’s in the industry: Quentin Tarantino, Barry Jenkins, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Martin Scorsese.
True to his word, Washington told me that I did get a name right:
One out of those four I sat down with.
The idea of Denzel Washington making a movie with any of those directors is utterly fascinating, and since the interview I have thought deeply about the possibilities. While Paul Thomas Anderson is probably the least likely in the group, having just released Licorice Pizza at the end of last year, I can’t imagine there is a cinephile alive who wouldn’t be excited to see the actor team up with Quentin Tarantino, Barry Jenkins, or Martin Scorsese. Fans probably shouldn’t raise hopes too high, as conversations between actors and filmmakers frequently don’t end up resulting in projects that get made… but it couldn’t hurt for everyone to keep fingers crossed.
While we patiently wait to learn about the various projects that Denzel Washington makes in the coming years, audiences everywhere can view his latest film now. The Tragedy Of Macbeth is playing in select theaters and is streaming globally on Apple TV+.
