Hollywood is full of people who almost starred in movies. It's what makes this such a fun industry; every zig or zag could change the course of a career, or open the door for someone else. The story of the movie Se7en is one of those awesome tales. From the studio wanting to change the ending to its recent 4K restoration, it's the gift that keeps on giving. And one crazy fact I learned was that it almost starred Denzel Washington. In scrolling the internet to dig up stories for this site, I came across a 2015 interview with Jamie Foxx, where Denzel Washington said that Se7en's script was "too demonic," and that's why he passed on the starring role, which eventually went to Brad Pitt. "I was like, man, it's just too much," said Washington at the Toronto International Film Festival. I love that Denzel's reaction was "Then I saw the movie and was like 'I blew it.'" And then he and Foxx laugh. This is the correct reaction. You can't play the hindsight game in Hollywood. Even at my level, I wander through the stakes of our choices, but at the end of the day, you stick to your path, and things turn out. I think the Denzel Washington story is actually a teachable moment. You could say he made a mistake, but that mistake may have led him to Training Day, which is another dark script, but a role he took that won him an Oscar. The...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Yesterday