Josh Brolin and Denzel Washington have both been stars in Hollywood for decades, and 2007’s American Gangster brought them together as part of one of the most impressive ensembles of the 21st century. In a recent episode of In Depth with Graham Besinger, Brolin said that there wasn’t total harmony across that cast. In fact, he and Washington almost got into a fight.
“Denzel showed up,” Brolin said. “He was a little late to set, and there was a whole thing there. And then he showed me the lines … He didn’t change any of my lines, but he kind of changed the structure of it. And he said, ‘I think I’m gonna put this down here, and I’m gonna put that up there.’ But he wouldn’t really look at me.”
Washington played real-life gangster Frank Lucas, whose story inspired the film, and Brolin played NYPD Detective Nick Trupo, who took bribes from Lucas.
“So I was trying to remember the structure, and then we rehearsed. It wasn’t that many lines, mostly mine,” Brolin continued. “And I’m supposed to be super confident. It’s Denzel Washington, man. It’s like, not easy, you’re just some, this actor who they’re trying out, seeing if he’s the real thing or not. And I forgot a line. And I put my hand on his shoulder, and I said, ‘What’s the line?’ And he hit my hand off, and he said, ‘Don’t ever [expletive] put your hand on me.’ And I was like, ‘[Expletive], I’m gonna scrap with Denzel Washington. This is crazy.’ We’re not actors anymore … at least in my mind.”
Brolin added that he was the one who needed to take some time and calm down, because Washington had provoked him in character.
“In his mind, he was just doing his job. He was that guy. He was Frank Lucas, period,” the actor explained. “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.” He added that the two of them “get along very well now.” In the heat of the moment, though, things almost came to blows.