Among Disney’s long history of inspirational sports movies, one of the best, if not the all-time best, has to be Remember the Titans. The story of a high school sports team stars Denzel Washington as coach Herman Boone. Boone is portrayed as a very no-nonsense sort of coach, somebody who may have a heart of gold, but is tough as nails on the outside, and this is something that Denzel apparently learned firsthand.
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer was the one who reportedly suggested that Denzel Washington actually meet the man he would be playing in Remember the Titans. Washington told the Tampa Bay Times that he was hesitant to take the role, having just played Hurricane Carter in The Hurricane. In the end, Washington ultimately liked the script and so he took on the role. But playing Herman Boone could not have been tougher than meeting him. As Washington describes the meeting as “prickly.” Among other points of contention, Boone apparently didn’t think Denzel Washington was good-looking enough. The actor explained…
The first thing he tells me is that I'm all wrong for the part, mostly because I'm not handsome enough. I think he's kidding me, then I realize he's dead serious. He's a real old-school, football-coach piece of work. He told me he was going to have “My Way” played at the funeral home for 24 hours when he died, and I laughed. Then his wife tells me later he's actually got it written in his will. Prickly is not the word for this guy. His wife says she's happy I got to meet him after he had mellowed; she said he's about a third as tough as he used to be.
One can only imagine what a meeting between Denzel and Boone would have been like when Boone was at his peak toughness. If “you’re not handsome enough to play me” is what a mellow guy says, one can only imagine what the outcome would have been like otherwise.
And yet, Washington says that meeting Boone was one of the reasons he decided to take the role. It became one of Denzel Washington's most iconic roles, to be sure. Maybe he felt playing such a person was a challenge. Or maybe, underneath the tough exterior, the actor says something that he could portray that works on the screen to make the man endearing to an audience.
There certainly must have been something, as it’s clear that despite the tough introduction Denzel Washington holds Boone in high regard. He doesn’t appear to dislike the man or have a negative feeling about their meeting.
The Remember the Titans cast goes far beyond Denzel when it comes to perfect casting. It even includes an early Ryan Gosling role. But for many Denzel is Coach Boone, even if the real guy didn't think he was the right choice.
