The two-time Oscar winner is back. Reuniting with his
Training Day director, Antoine Fuqua, The Equalizer once again casts Denzel Washington as the ordinary guy who can kill without breaking so much as a sweat. A role that was first made famous in the Eighties television series of the same name, Washington takes on corrupt cops, shop thieves and the Russian mafia in defense of young Teri (Chloe Grace Moretz), a Boston prostitute who falls victim to her pimp. Meeting at London's Corinthia Hotel, Denzel talks his rigorous training regime, "that man Beckham" and going vegan.
The film opens with Mark Twain's quote - "the two most important days of your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why." Aside from those what's been the most important day of your life?
Being born is hard to beat [laughs]. You know? That's a tricky one. Is it marriage? Is it the day your children are born? Is it something to do with your professional life? I'm still a work in progress so I don't know if there was actually one day when I thought "this is the reason I was born." I mean, that's thinking a bit much of yourself isn't it? What if you're wrong? [laughs]. What if I'd said at 22 "oh, I'm an actor, this is why I was born" and then I hadn't worked for the next twenty years?
In The Equalizer, your character has a great heart but is essentially a killer - do you think violence is sometimes a necessary evil?
Well, it's a reality. I don't know if it's necessary. Sometimes it's not evil, sometimes it is. Mindless violence is but how many bloody revolutions have there been? If it wasn't for blood shed there would be no United Kingdom or United States. It's just a fact of life, it's a part of who we are and it always has been.
Your character reads religiously in the film - can you recommend a good book?
I really like Future Shock and The Third Wave by Alvin Toffler, The Autobiography Of Malcolm X [by Malcolm X and Alex Haley]. The Bible. These are all books that have all impacted me a lot.
How did you train for such a physically demanding role?
I had great stunt coordinators and martial artists and I trained with them for six months. I've been boxing for years so I know how to handle myself but I needed to learn what they were teaching me.
The important thing was I knew that they were going to keep me safe. I was training all day, over and over and over. We would cut corners sometimes if it was a big, wide shot, you could through the stunt man in so I wouldn't have to jump off the [platform] 47 times, I could do it three times instead [laughs].
Did your diet drastically change while you were training?
Yeah, last summer I went on a vegan diet just to try it and it was actually quite healthy. I was a good weight. I'm not even completely back on meat even now. Moderation is the key.
Who's your best dressed British man?
I'm not that fashion savvy [laughs]. What's the guys name that used to live down the street from me? The soccer player? Doesn't he dress well?
David Beckham?
Beckham! That's it. Well I just know him because he used to live down the street from me in Beverly Hills and there would be all kinds of paparazzi down there. It was mad. It was crazy. They'd follow them everywhere, I was like "how can these people live?" I thought I was famous [laughs], they're on another level. Why? How does life become that?
They're national treasures here.
Are they really? Ah, I see [laughs].
What are three films no man should die without watching?
Wow. Oh no. I have no idea. The Godfather trilogy. I don't think I know the other two. You know the thing is so many different films that have affected me in different ways but they may not have necessarily affected others. I'm going to say two others by me [laughs]. There it is, a politically correct answer
[laughs].
The Equalizer is out 26 September
Follow Alice Howarth on Twitter: @alicejrhowarth
