Denzel Washington has altercation with Cannes Film Fest photographer
Denzel Washington attended Cannes Film Festival for the premiere of his new movie “Highest 2 Lowest,” directed by Spike Lee.
Tensions rose on the Cannes red carpet when Denzel Washington appeared to share a heated exchange with a photographer.
In the May 19 incident, captured on video, Washington scolds a photographer, pointing directly at the cameraman and appearing to say to get his hands off him after he reached out and grabbed the actor’s arm.
When the photographer then grabbed him again, the “Othello” actor swatted away his arm and continued to chide him, seeming to repeat the phrase “stop it,” before walking away.
Washington’s rep told USA TODAY, following the interaction: “It was a great evening at the Cannes Film Festival.”
The incident is not the first red carpet controversy at Cannes. Last year, video emerged of several stars, particularly women of color, being rushed through the carpet by security personnel. The instances, which sometimes got physical, prompted outrage on social media, with some claiming discrimination.
Kelly Rowland, whose confrontation with a security guard was caught on video, told the Associated Press at the time: “I have a boundary, and I stand by those boundaries, and that is it. There were other women who attended that carpet, who did not look quite like me. And they didn’t get scolded or pushed off or told to get off.”
Denzel Washington receives surprise awards at Cannes
Washington received a surprise honorary Palme d’Or award at the famed French film festival in recognition of his outstanding career, according to organizers.
The Oscar winner, 70, was at Cannes for the premiere of Spike Lee’s latest film “Highest 2 Lowest,” an adaptation of legendary Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa’s “High and Low.” The movie will hit theatres in the U.S. on Aug. 22.
Washington, who was joined by co-stars A$AP Rocky and Jeffrey Wright on the red carpet, stars in the crime thriller, representing the fifth time he and Lee have worked together.
With movie roles that have ranged from Black activist Malcolm X, to a drunk but heroic pilot in “Flight,” Washington’s prolific career was at the center of the surprise awards ceremony May 19.
Robert De Niro also received a Palme d’Or honorary award for lifetime achievement, though his was announced in advance. At the festival’s opening ceremony last week, he used his acceptance speech to call for protests against President Donald Trump.
Contributing: Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY; Miranda Murray, Reuters
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