Why Idris Elba Said Denzel Washington ‘Pissed Me Off’ in ‘American Gangster’

Actor Idris Elba collaborated with Denzel Washington for what used to be the latter’s highest-grossing movie American Gangster. Although Elba greatly admired Washington, the Luther star confided that he had a little trouble understanding the Oscar-winner’s methods at first.

Idris Elba felt he only met Frank Lucas in ‘American Gangster’, not Denzel Washington

Elba didn’t have much screentime in the 2007 drama American Gangster. But he spent what little presence he had in the film going toe to toe with his co-star Washington. One of the benefits to working alongside Washington was that the Training Day star brought the best out of Elba’s performance.

“Denzel’s intense, definitely intense. I haven’t really said this to anyone before but with Denzel, when you’re working with someone at that level he’s at, you just bring your A game,” Elba once told Pyro Radio (via Drum & Bass). “You’ll fall on your face if you’re nervous, you have to be a hundred percent.”

But it took Elba a while to realize the method to Washington’s madness, which is why Washington initially rubbed The Wire alum the wrong way.

“And with Denzel, he didn’t show up to the set, his character showed up to the set. You didn’t get any more than that, so whatever his character was feeling about my character, that’s what you got,” Elba said. “So, if you shake his hand and his character didn’t like yours, he’s not really shaking your hand, there’s no conversation or friendly banter because his character and my character had proper beef. I remember filming one of the scenes, I said hello to Denzel and he kind of dissed me. And later I realized he was in character but it pissed me off, I felt to myself **** him then. And that came across in the film.”

The experience didn’t diminish Elba’s respect for Washington, however. Instead, it might’ve just enhanced it. Elba hoped to work alongside Washington again in a future role where they had more time together on screen.

Washington’s other American Gangster co-star, Josh Brolin, also experienced firsthand how deep Washington dived into his crime lord counterpart. In an interview with Graham Bensinger, Brolin recalled collaborating with Washington in a scene. But Washington responded to Brolin like the bad guy he was playing in the movie. But this made Brolin feel like things were going to take a wrong turn quickly.

“We almost got into a fight,” Brolin said.

But cooler heads prevailed when, much like Elba, Brolin realized what Washington was doing.

“He was that guy. He was Frank Lucas, period. But I didn’t know. And then we got through that moment. I said, ‘Are you OK?’ 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,” Brolin said.

Idris Elba really thought Denzel Washington shot him in ‘American Gangster’

Washington was such a convincing performer in American Gangster that it seemed he even tricked Elba at one point. Speaking with the Daily Mail, director Ridley Scott revealed what it was like filming Washington and Elba during their most intense scene. Washington was scripted to shoot Elba with a prop gun. But since the prop gun was empty, Scott needed Elba’s help to make the murder scene seem more authentic.

“This is a gun with a solid barrel. There is no aperture, I would never risk it,” Scott said. “But when you pull the trigger, there’s a recoil. There’s no blank, nothing. So I said, ‘I want you to lean on the gun.’”

But the scene in question might’ve been too real for the Beast star.

 “Idris thought he’d been shot and dropped to the sidewalk and said, ‘I’ve been shot,’” Scott recalled.