Denzel Washington has long been considered one of the true ‘nice guys’ in Hollywood.
The father-of-four describes himself as a ‘simple’ man who tries to ‘do the right thing’ and ‘doesn’t want movie star friends’.
So it was all the more surprising to fans to see the Oscar winner’s mask apparently slip on the Cannes Film Festival red carpet as he lashed out at an overzealous photographer while attending the premiere of his movie Highest 2 Lowest on Monday.
However, beneath the serene surface, the actor, 70, is a more complicated character and has fought a number of personal battles, including struggles with drugs and alcohol.
On Monday night, he had an altercation with a photographer on the red carpet who appeared to grab the actor’s arm to get his attention.
As Denzel turned to the photographer he appeared to shout: ‘Hey, one — one more time, stop.
‘Let me tell you — stop, stop — never put your hands on me again,’ he appears to shout at the photographer, who had a bizarre grin plastered on his face throughout the exchange.
‘I’m talking to you, stop, all right,’ he continued.
The photographer replied to Denzel by saying: ‘Not allowed,’ before laughing and adding, ‘Yes, yes, yes.’
Despite the actor’s emphatic words and body language, the photographer could be seen grabbing at Denzel again in the clip, and asked, ‘Can I take a picture?’
Denzel, who appeared completely fed up at that point, shouted back: ‘Stop, stop it, stop it. I mean it. Stop, stop it.’
Despite the intensity of his words, many of the photographers surrounding Denzel — including the one he was yelling at — were smiling, suggesting that they may not have realized how upset he was.
The actor then pulled out of the press conference for Highest 2 Lowest after the tense exchange.
Despite his film career that’s won him two Oscars, three Golden Globes and an AFI Lifetime Achievement Award, he’s not naturally comfortable in the limelight and last year remonstrated with fans who were waiting for him outside the Museum of Modern Art at an event honouring Samuel L. Jackson.
Despite his movie star status, the actor doesn’t see himself as a celebrity and has previously insisted he doesn’t know what ‘Hollywood’ means.