Spike Lee Reflects on Working With Denzel Washington Over the Years: 'One of the Greatest Actors'

Spike Lee and Denzel Washington have established themselves as one of cinema’s most prolific and celebrated duos. After first teaming up on the 1990 film Mo’ Better Blues, the director and actor reunited for the critically acclaimed projects Malcolm X (1992); He Got Game (1998); Inside Man (2006); and, most recently, Highest 2 Lowest.

Lee reflected on the decades-long friendship/working relationship in the latest episode of Carmelo Anthony’s podcast 7PM in Brooklyn, revealing what it was really like working with his fellow Oscar winner

“It’s a blessing… Time flies,” Lee said. “I’m just blessed to work with one of the greatest actors ever.”

Lee said he was especially excited for Highest 2 Lowest, an upcoming crime thriller that’s billed as a reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 Japanese flick High and Low. The projects are loosely based on King’s Ransom, a 1959 novel by American author Ed McBain.

“It’s fire,” Lee said about Highest 2 Lowest. “Denzel, in this film, he plays a music mogul known as having the best ears in the business and there’s a kidnapping… [it’s] action-packed, a nail biter, funny AF.”

The film also stars Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, and ASAP Rocky. Plot details remain under wraps; however, Lee praised Rocky’s acting skills, suggesting he held his own when sharing scenes with Denzel.

“ASAP, man, he fire,” Lee said. “I mean, there’s some scenes where him and [Denzel are] head to head, he ain’t backing up. Like, ‘I’m here too.’ So, I’m very, very happy with the way the film turned out and looking forward to sharing it with the world.”

Highest 2 Lowest will premiere at Cannes Film Festival on May 19 — a date that meant a lot to Lee.

“I believe in numerology,” the director said. “That is very special to me because the world premiere of Do the Right Thing [was] May 19, 1989 in Cannes. And this May 19 will be Malcolm X’s birthday, too.”

Elsewhere in the sitdown, Anthony pointed out Denzel’s “aura,” saying the actor carries himself in such a calm and collected manner because he has nothing more to prove; it’s almost as if he’s ready to retire.

“Denzel’s got a different glow about him… It’s a very positive aura that he has,” the retired NBA player said. “He’s at peace. It’s crazy because I listen to his interviews and I’m watching certain shit that he says, certain shit that he do… This aura reminds me of when Jay-Z was doing The Black Album (which was supposed to be Hov’s swan song)… This is the energy I get from Denzel.”

Lee agreed, saying it was always easy to reconnect with Denzel.

“We don’t hang out,” he said about the actor. “But when we see each other...”

“Right back in pocket,” Anthony interjected.

“It could be four or five years,” Lee continued. “The last film we worked on before this was Inside Man. When someone told me it was 18 years old, I was like, ‘What?!’ I didn’t believe it. But when you’re vibing with somebody, they don’t have to be in your face every minute.” 

Lee also said he and Denzel avoid on-set disagreements, and try to work out any creative differences during rehearsals and read-throughs.

"Once we're on set, we're going," he said. "We gotta make sure we're on the same page."

Check out the full 7PM in Brooklyn episode above