Spike Lee calls Denzel Washington “one of the greatest actors” as he reflects on their longtime collabs

Spike Lee and Denzel Washington are teaming up once again for Highest 2 Lowest, and the director can't stop gushing over the longtime actor.

The pair first teamed up for the 1990 film Mo’ Better Blues, after which they reunited for Malcolm X (1992), He Got Game (1998), Inside Man (2006), and, most recently, Highest 2 Lowest. Reflecting on their decades-long friendship, the Oscar-winning filmmaker said during the latest episode of Carmelo Anthony’s podcast 7PM in Brooklyn:

“It’s a blessing… Time flies,” Lee said. “I’m just blessed to work with one of the greatest actors ever.”

Spike Lee can't stop gushing over Denzel Washington: Here's how he feels about his longtime collaborator

During his recent podcast segment, Spike Lee gushed over Washington, noting that the actor, who plays a music mogul in the forthcoming film, has "the best ears in the business.”

Highest 2 Lowest is an upcoming crime thriller that is a loose “reinterpretation” of Japanese director Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 film High and Low. It also stars A$AP Rocky, Ice Spice, Jeffrey Wright, and Ilfenesh Hadera. Reflecting on the rapper's acting skills, who will be playing Denzel Washington's son in the film, Lee said:

“ASAP, man, he fire,” Lee said. “I mean, there’s some scenes where him and [Denzel are] head to head, he ain’t backing up. Like, ‘I’m here too.’ So, I’m very, very happy with the way the film turned out and looking forward to sharing it with the world.”

During the segment, Anthony also noted that Denzel Washington has a certain calm and collected "aura" to him, almost as if it's because he has nothing to prove and is ready to retire.

“Denzel’s got a different glow about him… It’s a very positive aura that he has,” the retired NBA player said. “He’s at peace. It’s crazy because I listen to his interviews and I’m watching certain shit that he says, certain shit that he do… This aura reminds me of when Jay-Z was doing The Black Album (which was supposed to be Hov’s swan song)… This is the energy I get from Denzel.”

Lee concurred, noting that it's always been easy for him to reconnect with Denzel Washington.

“We don’t hang out,” he said about the actor. “But when we see each other... “Right back in pocket,” Anthony interjected. “It could be four or five years,” Lee continued. “The last film we worked on before this was Inside Man. When someone told me it was 18 years old, I was like, ‘What?!’ I didn’t believe it. But when you’re vibing with somebody, they don’t have to be in your face every minute.”

Lee also noted that he and Denzel Washington try to mitigate any disagreements on set as they try and hash things out during rehearsals and read-throughs.

"Once we're on set, we're going," he said. "We gotta make sure we're on the same page."

Highest 2 Lowest will be premiering at the Cannes Film Festival on May 19. At the time of writing, further details like the plot remain unclear.

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