The scene Denzel Washington got black-out drunk for: “The director was pissed off”
It’s fair to say that Denzel Washington is one of the greatest actors of his generation, seeing as he’s given some of the most memorable performances ever since his breakthrough in the early 1980s. Several of the most prominent film productions have greatly profited from Washington’s presence and prowess as a performer.
When thinking of Washington, many of his best on-screen moments immediately spring to mind, including in Glory, for which he won the Academy Award for ‘Best Supporting Actor’, and Training Day, for which he scooped the ‘Best Actor’ Oscar. Elsewhere, the likes of Inside Man and American Gangster have also received the Washington master treatment.
Washington had come into the public’s eye with his effort in the medical drama series St. Elsewhere after a stint off-Broadway. Early into his career, the actor had a few lessons to learn, though, and even before the 1980s was over, he made a mistake that he would never repeat again: drinking on the job.
In 1988, Washington starred in the crime drama film For Queen and Country, directed by Martin Stellman. The actor played a former British paratrooper who joined the military in order to get away from the harsh realities of inner-city London. When he returns from the Falklands, though, Reuben James finds that he has been ostracised from society and experiences great difficulty in readapting to civilian life.
The film served as the moment that Washington realised that he shouldn’t drink while acting, even under the belief that it could improve performance. Discussing the moment of realisation in an interview with The Guardian, the actor noted, “I did a movie in London in the ’80s, For Queen and Country, and there was a scene where we had to drink.”
Washington and one of his co-stars duly told each other, “Man, let’s really drink,” and a few scotches down, they thought they were “playing it pretty cool”. However, director Martin Stellman knew that something was up with the pair and asked them, “What’s wrong with you guys?”
Evidently, Washington and the film’s other actors had had one too many, which led to their performances coming in noticeably under par. “We thought we were wild but we were really just dull,” Washington admitted. “The director was pissed off and it taught me a lesson. That was the last time I ever drank while working.”
Drinking on the job just “doesn’t work” for Washington, and he went on to explain that he has worked with a number of actors who “crossed that line” only to find that their on-screen efforts lack the intensity and believability that is expected of them. “It’s just not worth it,” Washington noted. “You think you’re giving 100%, but all the while, your level is dropping.”
Evidently, Washington takes his profession very seriously, always under the belief that it was his true calling in life. However, it took an early experience of making mistakes in order to perfect his craft and fine-tune his approach to acting, which would be mastered and perfected over the following years.
Because of that, Washington never drinks on the job, even when his character is meant to be intoxicated. Washington’s dedication to the profession is unrivalled, and it’s easy to see why such acclaim has been levelled at him over the years, as shown by stories of his undying professionalism.