Thursday, January 15, 1998
Lesser manifestations of good
FILM: Denzel Washington speculates on evil in Hollywood, human
nature and his new film ‘Fallen’
By Stephanie Sheh
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
It is hard enough to catch a serial killer. But try to catch one
who’s spirit can pass from body to body. Denzel Washington is doing
just that in his latest film, "Fallen," which opens Friday. The
movie prods at the multi-layered concept of evil, or what
Washington likes to refer to as "the lesser manifestations of
good."
"I don’t even want to give the dark side credit," Washington
says of his quaint euphemism. "It’s obviously there in the world
that we live in. What the final definition of it is, I don’t know.
I’m not smart enough to know. But it seems to be an aspect of all
of us. We have a choice. Why one makes it, why one goes ahead and
takes the money and the other one doesn’t, I don’t know. I don’t
know if that makes him evil, but then you look at someone like
Hitler. Is he the product of his environment? Or is he inherently
evil? Was he just mentally ill? Or is he a hero?"
Through "Fallen," screenwriter Nick Kazan ("Reversal of
Fortune") attempts to provide insight to this question "What is
evil?"
"To me this film is a visual metaphor because I think that evil
is contagious," Kazan says. "I think that when evil is done to you,
you tend to do evil, even if it’s the simplest thing. Somebody
starts screaming at you over the phone and you hang up the phone
and your wife walks in the room. You’re liable to yell at her."
But it was not just the hard look at the dark side that
attracted director Greg Hoblit ("LA Law," "Primal Fear") to the
project.
"Of all the scripts that have come down the pike that are
well-written, thoughtful and intelligent, this one was just so out
of the ordinary," Hobit gushes. "And it dealt with the things that
I was interested in too. It had very strong characters. It had the
challenge of mixing genres, the supernatural and it had the
challenge of creating the demon world."
Although Kazan has a great love for such horror-genre classics
as "Rosemary’s Baby" and the Hitchcock films, he would not define
"Fallen" as a religious horror film. Instead, he says that his film
combines three different genres.
"I don’t like movies that are just like all the other movies. I
like to see movies that are different and sort of define my
expectations," Kazan explains. "One thing which is hopefully
different here is that the movie starts like a cop movie and then
it becomes kind of a religious horror movie like the vein of
‘Rosemary’s Baby’ and then it becomes almost a Jobian examination
of what happens to one man as he’s being tested."
And who do you get to fight the bad guy in a
humanistic-religious-cop-horror film, but Washington, about who
Kazan simply comments, "He’s an honest man. Not every star is an
honest man. You have to have a worthy adversary for evil."
But the actor understands that casting choices in Hollywood
require reflection on more than just an actor’s talent. Washington
understands the business aspect of the industry as well.
He hypothesizes on what studio executives might say before
hiring him. "Anybody might say, ‘Hey it’s good business to get
Denzel. Or who can we get that’s going to bring in (money). You
know, Tom, he’s booked up until 2089.’ It’s just a matter of time,
they’re going to work their way down to the kid."
Washington, who plays a non-race-specific role, is glad that
African American artists can now mean good business rather than
charity cases.
"I think it changed for African Americans somewhat with Spike
doing ‘She’s Got to Have It’ because it was like, ‘Wait a minute,
you give him two million and he’ll bring you back 25? Okay. See
what happens if we give him six. Brought back 42. Alright, maybe
give him 10,’" Washington says. "You know it’s business. But then
there’s guys like this young kid now, Will Smith. He’s got the
biggest movies out in the last two years. So right now they’re
willing to bet on him. I’d bet on him. I mean the people love him.
It’s good business. It’s not like let’s give this African American
a chance."
But times were not always like this. And Washington was not
always a big star. Early on in his career, he was tempted by what
some could call the evils of show business. While working on the
television program "St. Elsewhere" he received an offer to do a
highly racially offensive comedy which Washington dubs "The Nigger
They Couldn’t Kill."
It was a film about a bunch of townspeople attempting to lynch a
black man for a crime he did not commit. They put him in the
electric chair, but somehow it doesn’t work. Then there is a scene
where the townsfolk are going to hang their convict, putting him on
top of their car with a rope around his neck. And just as they are
ready to drive the car away it starts to rain. The tires start
spinning in the mud. The hero kicks somebody and then they’re off
to the races again.
"I remember the guy telling me, ‘It’s funny. It’s a nutty story.
He doesn’t die,’" Washington recalls. "What was he talking about?
So I told him a story. It was an ugly story, but I got the point
across. I said, ‘Right. And you got those nutty Jewish people
right? And they bring them into the shower right? But the water
doesn’t come out and nothing comes out and they don’t die.’ And I
sat there and said, ‘Right. It ain’t funny is it? It ain’t funny
when the shoe’s on the other foot. So what makes you think it’s
funny?’ I remember I was so angry. It was probably why I didn’t
work for awhile.
"They never made it, because it was garbage," Washington
continues. "But it was a lot of money, $500,000 or something. I
said, ‘I cannot do this.’ And I called Sidney Poitier and said,
‘Man, I don’t know what to do. This is nuts. I can’t do this.’ And
he said, ‘Denzel, the first three or four movies you get will
determine your career, how you are perceived in this business. In
your gut if you don’t feel it, you may have to starve. You may have
to do whatever.’ And I waited like six months or so and I waited
and the film that I got was ‘Cry Freedom.’ So I guess I owe
Sidney."
And in a place where some would describe as "the lesser
manifestation of good," Washington seems to have his head on
straight.
FILM: "Fallen" opens Friday.
Denzel Washington plays a demon-hunting cop in "Fallen."
Warner Bros.
John Hobbes, (Denzel Washington) visits serial keller Reese
(Elias Koteas) on the day of his execution.
Director Gregory Hoblit (center) watches a scene playback with
actors Denzel Washington and Embeth Davidtz.