The actor I choose to listen to and write about is Denzel Washington. Denzel Washington has done many things in the film industry from acting, to producing and even directing. Some of the movies he has been involved in are: Malcolm X, The Hurricane, Training Day, Remember The Titans, American Gangster, and The Great Debaters. The interview I chose was aired on January 16, 2008, and highlighted his directing and acting in The Great Debaters.
The interview mostly focused on the journey of his directing of The Great Debaters. Though starting out as an actor Denzel has used his experience to enhance his directing. He has learned from past films that he has directed, but also has used techniques he liked from other directors he has worked with. The sense of leadership that I picked up when listening to the audio clip is one of greatness. Denzel has first hand experience with great directors and not so great directors. Through this experience it has lead to him honing his art as a director.
One of the quotes I chose was, "Your first go around everything is new". This stood out to me because of his mentality. He is saying that he is still learning from each film he directs. I haven't seen this movie but from the dialogue between Denzel and the guy interviewing him this statement seems to be true. The guy interviewing him was saying how the camera movement looked more comfortable.
The comfort in his directing was amplified in his next quote, "I wanted to punch you right in the face before you got settled in." This quote is in reference to the beginning of the movie. Denzel, through his comfort, made changes to the film. The changes he made was introducing all the main characters in the beginning of the film. He wanted the audience to become acquainted with these characters and enhance their story as the movie continued. It sounds like he is comfortable with these decisions because of his experience in acting and life.
Life plays a crucial part in how Denzel directs his films. One quote that he uses in his life, and he used in the film was, "You do what you got to do, to do what you want to do". Denzel said this is something he would tell his son, and used this line in the film The Great Debaters. Such a powerful but simple quote is what has sky rocketed Denzels career. It is not just the words but the actions of these words that you can see exude from Denzels career.
Denzels contribution to the film world is huge. He has made a career of playing real life people and bringing there story to all who watch his films. The characters are strong black men who have played crucial parts in this world. The reason I think he plays these characters so well is because he is one of those people. He is a strong male role model not only to blacks but to all males no matter the color.
