Overcoming real-life hardships

Actor Denzel Washington directs a true story about youthful troubles in Antwone Fisher

Los Angeles - This scribe has experienced the different moods of Oscar-winning actor Denzel Washington. From defensive and uptight when talking about Devil in a Blue Dress, to politically serious when promoting Courage Under Fire, to playful when discussing Training Day. On this particular morning, the handsome and soft-spoken actor is the proud daddy of a brand new baby and his attitude is positive to the max.
"Of course I'm proud," he smiles. "It's my first one and I think it's perfect."
Indeed it is. Antwone Fisher, Washington's directorial debut, is a simple but solid character-driven true-life tale devoid of any big-budget effects and filmic gadgets that manages to instill enough emotional impact in the viewer to make it a winner.
Written by Antwone Fisher, the film centres on the young navy man (played by newcomer Derek Luke) who overcomes his childhood traumas - mother's abandonment, foster home abuse and racism - when he faces his anger with the help of a Navy psychiatrist (Washington).
"I've done films about real people, so that was a thing I knew something about when I was offered this project," explains Washington. "Also, it's a performance film, so it doesn't rely on high technology. It just felt like the right thing to do. And when I met Antwone, I just loved him, he's such a brave person, a very soft-spoken person. We went through a long process. He and I worked on the script for four, five years, always kept developing, kept developing, kept developing, right until I would say 'cut'."
Yet, as an A-list star, Washington could've taken the easy route and hired experienced actors for the demanding parts. One wonders why he decided to go for the novices.
"They were the best actors," he says. "I read with everybody. I read with actors for four or five years. And Derek came in and just won the part, it's as simple as that. He didn't have the experience, the film experience, but he was fine as an actor. And in that room, he was great. And I brought him back in, read him again, he was great. Brought him in with some guys, he was great. Put him with Joy (Bryant, who plays Fisher's girlfriend), he was great. He was just the best one. And their chemistry was unbelievable."
Obviously before the studio would turn a film over to Washington, there was a clause that required the actor have a part in the picture as well. Directing oneself is a tricky feat for seasoned helmers, never mind a newcomer like Washington.
"Yeah, I didn't care for it," he admits. "I'd do four takes, and then wanted to move on, that's about all I did. You know, Derek is such a young actor, and I really wanted to keep my eye on the work with him. Now you explain your focus, I'm in the scene with him, and now I'm gonna run back and look at myself, and try to make sure what he's doing is good. That was the most difficult thing."
Washington's success of late transcends his ethnicity as an African-American male. By making a film like Antwone Fisher, which concentrates specifically on a community-laden problem, can the director's appeal attract a wider based audience for the picture?
"I think it's the nature of the story. It's not about his colour. It's about abuse. And I think abuse is colour blind," explains Washington. "In terms of commercial appeal, I didn't really worry about that too much. That's one of the reasons I wanted to make the film for a small budget. I didn't want that kind of pressure on the film. And I kind of wanted to learn from the bottom and have to use my imagination, like guerilla filmmaking."
Back in March Washington and Halle Berry made Academy Award history when they became the first African-American actors to win Best Performance Oscars.
"That was an amazing night," smiles the 48-year-old director. "When Halle won, I figured: 'I'm not gonna get it. Not tonight.' So I was kind of relaxed. I was surprised. But we'll see what it means. She said 'hopefully it opens doors for other African-American women, or any other minorities,' but we'll see, it was just one night. You've got to have good parts in order to be up there, first of all. And hopefully there will be more opportunities for young actors, African-American actors to get better parts. That's the key."
And what of Luke, this promising young actor about to be thrust in the limelight after delivering an exceptional performance in the film? Did the long-respected Washington have any pointers for the wet-behind-ears thesp?
"He's so talented, I was almost afraid for him," jokes Washington. "But seriously, I told to 'Just stay honest. Keep your feet on the ground. The tough part is coming now with press and television interviews. You know what I mean? Stay honest. You have to fight for yourself'."
Wise words from a wise man.
Antwone Fisher is currently playing in local cinemas.

Publication Date: 2003-02-09
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=2334