The Equalizer 3 will reintroduce us to one of modern cinema’s most potent vigilantes. Over the course of three films, The Equalizer franchise has given Denzel Washington some of his best action movies and allowed him to flex every badass muscle he has.
And when you have a career as long and storied as Washington’s, you’ll find yourself seeing the same faces again and again in your new movies. That’s something that happened to him ahead of The Equalizer 3 release date, which allowed him to reconnect with an actor from almost two decades ago.
Washington last worked with Dakota Fanning way back in 2004 with Man on Fire, in which she was a nine-year-old child star. In one of his best thriller movies, Washington played a CIA officer turned bodyguard who was tasked with protecting Fanning’s Pita from kidnappers.
Washington told Entertainment Tonight that it was an unusual experience to be working with Fanning again after such a long time since their last collaboration.
He said: “It was weird, you know, ’cause I’m like: ‘Oh she’s a grown woman’. She was like a grown woman then, but now she’s a grown woman. And, you know, obviously a great talent… It wasn’t really strange, ’cause she was bringing it.”
Fanning revealed that she and Washington have remained in touch through one of his daughters, who is among Fanning’s closest friends. But this was nothing compared to sharing the screen with him again.
“He has always been so good to me and kind to me, and I feel such a connection to him because he’s known me for so long,” she said. “It’s most people’s dream to get to work with him once, so to get to work with him twice at different stages in my life is a real treat.”
Fanning is certainly right to point out her privilege here. Washington is one of the best actors ever to work in Hollywood, so working alongside him is a real boon for anyone. We just hope he wasn’t too terrifying when he was in Equalizer mode. He’s certainly scary to bad guys.
For more on the best Denzel Washington movies, find out the sad truth about Equalizer 3 and learn why one scene in Man on Fire attracted complaints for its violence. We’ve also explored why Denzel Washington had a sex scene cut from The Pelican Brief.
Elsewhere, we’ve got you covered on everything you need to know about the best movies still to come in 2023, including the Dune 2 release date and the Killers of the Flower Moon release date.