Denzel's latest character is a Gulf War veteran who uncovers a plot where soldiers are kidnapped and brainwashed for sinister purposes. Denzel says he can understand what it's like to feel paranoid, from his experience of being a Hollywood celebrity...
Frank Sinatra was in the original Manchurian Candidate. What did you think of the Rat Pack?
I'm interested in Sammy Davis Jr, and the story of Wil Mastin - of the vaudeville Wil Mastin Trio - who was his mentor and teacher. I bought the rights with Brian Grazer of a great book that I read, In Black and White: The Life of Sammy Davis Jr by Wil Haygood, and we're developing the material. It's a different take. It's really the relationship with him and Wil Mastin and his father. I just thought it was a great book and I wanted to try and shape a screenplay out of it.
Tina Sinatra said you reminded her of her dad because you're a tough guy on the outside but mushy on the inside. What do you think of that?
I think that's beautiful (laughs).
Your character is haunted by recurring dreams. Have you ever had a recurring dream?
Yeah, the one we all have as young men but it's not the one you think. Guys will know what I'm talking about (laughs). You get up, you're dreaming. You think you've gotten up and you've gone to the bathroom but you really haven't. You think you're on your way to the bathroom and you're dreaming you're in the bathroom. So what do you do? You go to the bathroom, but you're still in the bed! Now it's warm in the bathroom so you wake up! Only boys would know that.
Does being in the public eye give you a greater edge to play someone who is paranoid?
You have a greater understanding of what it is to be watched, or even to think you're being watched, because you don't know when you're being watched. That's one of the weird things about celebrity, that you don't know who's watching. It's strange. Celebrity is my least favourite part of acting.
How do you live normally when everyone is watching you?
If you pray for rain, you gotta deal with the mud, too. That's a part of it. It's too late now. There's a struggle to do regular things because it's not a normal situation. I just do it anyway, I don't care. It's easier to do it in Los Angeles because everyone is a star there.
What attracts you to play the role of a soldier again - you've played one before in Glory and Courage Under Fire?
I'm not attracted to playing the role of a soldier. I guess there's more soldier and cop films made for guys. War is the most extreme circumstances and it makes for heightened drama and that may have something to do with it. This script isn't an army movie. It's a movie about brainwashing.
Do you have a philosophy about which films you choose to make?
I always say the time to worry about flying is when you're on the ground; when you're up in the air, it's too late. There's no point in worrying about it: if you don't trust the pilot, don't go. Jonathan Demme is the pilot of this film. I trust the pilot, I got on the plane.
You recently won the Boys And Girls Club Of America's highest award. What did it mean to you?
My mother used to tell me man gives the award, God gives the reward. Awards are fine, but the reason we were there was to raise money for the clubs. I don't need another plaque. I'm glad that they gave me one, it's nice, but the point was that 0,000 went to the club I grew up in. We've now raised close to million and we're rebuilding the club, so I agreed to accept an award as an excuse to raise money for the clubs.
When you first became an actor how did you continue to believe in yourself when there was no way to know that you would succeed?
It wasn't like that because I had a lot of success from the start. I was never tested for long periods of time. I got my first professional job while I was a senior in college. I signed with the William Morris Agency before I graduated. I went to study for a year and had TV jobs and plays, so I never really had the classic struggle. I had faith.
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