Denzel Washington Felt Like He Was ‘Fighting for My Life’ Acting Alongside Viola Davis
Actor Denzel Washington has often been an admirer of Oscar-winner Viola Davis and her acting abilities. Working with her in person, however, helped reawaken something in the actor that’d been lacking for quite some time.
Denzel Washington first worked with Viola Davis in the movie ‘Antwone Fisher’
Davis wasn’t a movie star yet by the time she appeared in the film Antwone Fisher. The How to Get Away With Murder star was mostly known for her contributions in theater. But Washington’s 2002 project brought a lot of attention the actor’s way. Antwone Fisher was directed by Washington himself, which meant had a hand in Davis’ appearance in the feature. But Washington didn’t exactly know how she ended up in the film.
“I don’t remember if she auditioned, I’d have to ask her. She must have, unless I saw her in a play,” Washington once told Deadline.
Still, Washington remembered being so enamored with Davis’ performance that he realized it was best for him to stay out of her way. Especially during a pivotal moment involving Davis in the movie.
“I knew to leave her alone, and it was good that I wasn’t in that part of the film, I remember it was cold and we were in Cleveland in an abandoned housing project. It was freezing, and I remember she just stayed in character, just stayed with it, and it was just like, you know what, just leave her alone. She’s delivering. I’m watching the monitor and I’m like, ‘Man, she’s killing it,’” he said.
Denzel Washington felt like he was ‘fighting for my life’ acting alongside Viola Davis
Washington and Davis would collaborate again on Fences. The project was an adaptation of the August Wilson play of the same name, which brought the two together on Broadway.
According to his 2013 interview with Telegraph, Washington was on the verge of quitting acting before doing the 2010 play. But Fences managed to reinvigorate Washington in a way he hadn’t experienced in years. And Washington credited co-starring alongside Davis as a catalyst for that change.
“As we get older, hopefully we get wiser and you start to realise how many shots do I have left? And the experience of working with Viola on Broadway was such a thrill. Watching her I realised I’m fighting for my life out there with this brilliant actress. The whole process is where I am in my life right now. It reawakened me,” he said. “I felt alive again and I said I want to apply that same work ethic to every job in terms of preparation, investigation, everything.”
The two would later collaborate on a 2016 film adaptation of Fences. The film would be nominated for several awards, and earned Davis a Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 2017.
Viola Davis Once Shared the unforgettable advice Denzel Washington gave her
Davis has learned just as much from working with Washington as Washington has learned from her. Being in the film industry for as long as he had been, Washington was able to give Davis some invaluable advice. It was advice that gave Davis some much-needed perspective on the film industry.
“[Denzel Washington] said, ‘Viola, what you’re doing, you’re making a living, not a life,’” Davis once told Harper’s Bazaar. “And I thought that was very, very powerful. You need reminders like that. It’s very hard to do. I will admit that I’ve had a very successful career, so you feel like that’s your life. It’s not my life. My mom is my life. My husband is my life. My daughter is my life. The people who love me.”
