Denzel Washington Turning Down This Classic $327 Million Thriller Led To A Totally Different Movie

By Sean Morrison

Published Oct 10, 2024

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Denzel Washington's best movies are proof of the hugely successful career he's had, but even the greatest actors have missed opportunities. Not all of those actors, however, can say that even their missed opportunities resulted in the best outcome for cinema. Washington, however, can, as he turned down a role in a film that would have been completely different if he had starred in it.

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In the 1990s, Denzel Washington was one of the most in-demand actors in Hollywood. He was extremely prolific at the time, and he appeared in several of his classics, like Malcolm X, Philadelphia, and The Pelican Brief. Since he was extremely sought-after, Washington turned down several major movies over the course of his career. One of those films actually benefited from having to find a replacement, however, and it wouldn't have been nearly the same if Washington had accepted the part.

Denzel Washington Playing Brad Pitt's Role In Se7en Would've Resulted In A Very Different Movie

Washington Would Have Played Mills In A More Reserved Way, While Pitt Made Him Wild

Early in his career, Denzel Washington turned down a lead role in Se7en, David Fincher's classic thriller. Washington said in an interview with Jamie Foxx that "the script was too demonic," which is why he turned it down, and Brad Pitt played the role of Detective Mills instead.

While Washington would have been great in Se7en, the movie would have been very different if Pitt hadn't gotten the role. Denzel Washington is at his best when he's playing more reserved characters who have occasional - and memorable - bouts of ion. Brad Pitt, on the other hand, is great at playing hotheaded, impulsive, and reactionary characters, which fit Mills and Se7en better. The famous "What's in the box?" scene would really illustrate just how differently the actors would have approached the film: Pitt played it as a desperate and devastated man, while Washington would have come at it as a man who reached his breaking point.

Denzel Washington In Se7en Would've Meant A Welcome Hollywood Reunion

Denzel Washington & Morgan Freeman Worked Together On Glory Six Years Prior

Denzel Washington in Malcolm X next to Morgan Freeman in The Shawshank Redemption — Custom image by Sean Morrison

While Se7en probably benefited from having Pitt in a leading role, Denzel Washington's involvement would have made it a very valuable reunion. If Washington had taken the role in Se7en, he would have starred opposite Morgan Freeman for the first time since their 1989 film Glory. Glory already proved that Freeman and Washington are a perfect pairing, and it is a bit of a shame that audiences missed an opportunity to see them together again in Se7en. In Glory, their characters took on an extremely compelling student-teacher dynamic, and Se7en would have given them a chance to do it again.

Though Se7en didn't give fans the reunion between Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman that it could have, the movie didn't suffer for it. Se7en is still a shining example of what the thriller genre is capable of, and both Brad Pitt and Washington have gone on to have wildly successful careers after it. All in all, it seems that Denzel Washington's decision to turn down a role in Se7en is evidence that some things simply work out for the best.