Denzel Washington Was Once Told He Wasn’t Good Looking Enough to Star in ‘Remember the Titans’
As most know, actor Denzel Washington portrayed Coach Herman Boone in the sports drama Remember the Titans. But when Washington went to meet the person his character was based on, he was given some unflattering remarks. But the exchange told Washington a lot about the man he was going to portray.
Denzel Washington was hesitant to star in ‘Remember the Titans’
Remember the Titans might be one of Washington’s most popular and well-regarded roles. As most know, Washington played Virginian high school football coach Boone. Boone would attempt to unite his football team in the early 1970s in the wake of integration. Although the movie was a commercial and critical success, Washington had reservations about the role.
“I was hesitant at first, coming right off of Hurricane. And this is no disrespect to Coach Boone — it’s really not about the coaches, it’s about the kids. … It’s not about two old guys sitting around making speeches, and I say ‘old’ because I played one of them,” Washington once told CNN.
Apart from that, Washington also quipped that sports fans can take their sports teams seriously. This might have added unnecessary pressure on Washington.
“You think people are sticklers about the actual facts of what happened in the civil rights struggle or a capital murder case, wait until you start messing with some legendary high school football season from 30 years ago,” Washington told Tampa Bay Times. “You get one play wrong and they’ll kill you.”
Denzel Washington was told he wasn’t handsome enough to play Coach Boone
Washington was eventually convinced to play the part. Although he didn’t choose to do Titans because of its message, he still asserted the message was important.
“I didn’t want to make this movie because of any message it contained, but I think what it says is real and important to say. What everyone on the T.C. Williams team _ players and coaches, too _ learned was that when people get to know about each other, all those preconceptions fade. We learn from people who are different from us. Our lives are enriched by them,” Washington said.
However, upon meeting the real Coach Boone, Washington was told there were certain qualities he lacked for the role. One of those qualities being his looks.
“The first thing he tells me is that I’m all wrong for the part,” Washington said. “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.”
But the Oscar-winner discovered he actually met a much more relaxed version of the coach.
“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,” he shared.
Re-watching ‘Remember the Titans’ once made Denzel Washington cry
Even Washington got a bit emotional when he revisited the sports drama, and couldn’t believe how much it touched him.
“I’m sitting there in the theater, trying to pretend like I’m not crying, just like all guys do,” he continued. “But I was moved by it. I’m thinking, ‘What’s the matter with me? I’m in this movie, and I’m crying.’ Then I thought, “Well, good. I did my job.’”
