Denzel Washington: Encyclopedia II - Denzel Washington - Malcolm X

Denzel Washington - Malcolm X

Washington played one of his most critically acclaimed roles in 1992's Malcolm X, directed by Spike Lee, where his performance as the Black Nationalist leader earned him an Oscar nomination. Both the influential film critic Roger Ebert and the highly-acclaimed film director Martin Scorsese called the movie one of the ten best films made during the 1990s.

Malcolm X transformed Washington's career, turning him, practically overnight, into one of Hollywood's most respected actors. He turned down several similar roles, such as the chance to play Martin Luther King, Jr., because he wanted to avoid being typecast by subject matter.

According to Jet magazine, for the 1995 film, Virtuosity, Denzel Washington refused to kiss his white female co-star, Kelly Lynch. During an interview, she said that she wanted to, but "[Denzel] felt very strongly about it. I felt there is no problem with interracial romance. But Denzel felt strongly that the white males, who were the target audience of this movie, would not want to see him kiss a white woman." Lynch further stated, "That's a shame. I feel badly about it. I keep thinking that the world's changed, but it hasn't changed quick enough." However, in 1998 Denzel had a scene of a sexual nature with Milla Jovovich in Spike Lee's He Got Game.

In 1999, Washington starred in The Hurricane, a movie about boxer Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter, whose conviction for triple murder was overturned after he had spent almost 20 years in prison. Various newspaper articles have suggested that the controversy over the film’s accuracy may have cost Washington the Oscar. Nevertheless, he received a 'Golden Globe Award' in 2000 and a 'Silberner Bär' (Silver Berlin Bear) from the Berlin International Film Festival.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Malcolm X", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki