Denzel Washington this week traded Broadway for the French Riviera to attend the 2025 Cannes Film Festival — where both a lifetime achievement award and an eager photographer awaited his attention.
On Monday, the two-time Oscar winner — currently starring in “Othello” in New York — returned to the glitzy international film fest on the Croisette for the premiere of “Highest 2 Lowest,” his latest project with longtime friend and “Malcolm X” collaborator Spike Lee. However, before Lee’s take on Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 crime thriller “High and Low” hit the big screen, some tension spilled over onto the red carpet.
Washington, 70, confronted and scolded a red carpet photographer who tried to get the actor’s attention by repeatedly nudging his forearm. In several videos documenting the spat, Washington turns away from his co-star A$AP Rocky and Lee to address a bespectacled photographer. The “Training Day” star can be seen pointing his finger at the photographer and appears to give him a stern warning.
Even as Washington turns away to return to his “Highest 2 Lowest” team, the photographer grabs the star by his forearm again, prompting him to swat it away. “Stop it, stop it,” Washington seems to say.
While the confrontation went viral, it did not seem to dull Washington’s Cannes return.
Moments after the tense exchange, Washington joined an exclusive club: He became the 23rd recipient of an honorary Palme d’Or. Washington received the surprise honor, which celebrates his body of work, from Lee and festival chief Thierry Frémaux. Woody Allen, Jane Fonda, Agnès Varda, Forest Whitaker, Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford and Meryl Streep are also among the honorary Palme d’Or recipients. Robert De Niro received the honor last week.
“This is my brother, right here,” said Lee as he presented the prize to his friend. “I love him. I love him.”
Washington, earning a standing ovation, said the award was a “total surprise for me.” The actor, who was last at Cannes in 1993 for “Much Ado About Nothing,” spoke about the privilege of creating movies, attending high-profile events and getting “paid for it, as well,” according to video shared by the Hollywood Reporter.
“We’re just blessed beyond measure. I’m blessed beyond measure,” he said. “From the bottom of my heart, I thank you all.”
In a statement to The Times on Tuesday, a representative for Washington said, “It was a great evening at the Cannes Film Festival even though he was only able to be there for a few hours in between performances of ‘Othello’ on Broadway.”
“Highest 2 Lowest” hits theaters Aug. 22 and features the Tony winner as a successful music mogul who faces a crisis of morality when he becomes the target of a life-or-death ransom plot. Jeffrey Wright and Ilfenesh Hadera also star.
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