The TRUTH behind Denzel Washington’s Cannes meltdown as insiders reveal ‘intense’ star’s morals amid history of outbursts
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Denzel Washington’s monumental Cannes meltdown, which saw him scream at a photographer, has left fans all over the world shocked and dismayed.
Washington’s glittering premiere of new movie Highest 2 Lowest Monday was overshadowed by the two-time Oscar winner losing his cool, jabbing his finger in the face of one of the snappers and shouting ‘Stop it! Stop it! and storming off.
His red carpet meltdown is the latest in a series of public outbursts from the actor – who famously told Josh Brolin ‘don’t ever f*****g put your hand on me!’ during a tense moment filming 2007 film, American Gangster, and shouted at autograph hunters in October 2024.
An insider has now dished exclusively to the Daily Mail on how Washington’s initially playful encounter with the press turned volatile, and why the actor’s strong morals compelled him to lash out so publicly.
They said: ‘When it comes to the moment at Cannes, Denzel was initially playing with the photographer and the photographer wanted to extend the jokey nature and continue the moment with Denzel, but it instantly became more serious when the photographer continued to touch him.
‘Rather than escalate, Denzel made sure to get the photographer back in line and end the situation before it had any chance to continue into something much more, which is why Denzel scolded him and walked away.
Denzel Washington’s monumental Cannes meltdown, which saw him scream at a photographer, has left fans all over the world shocked and dismayed – pictured Monday
Washington’s glittering premiere of new movie Highest 2 Lowest was overshadowed by the two time Oscar winner losing his cool and jabbing his finger in the face of one of the snappers, before shouting ‘Stop it! Stop it! and storming off
‘Denzel is an intense dude, both on set and in real life, and these photographers are not always polite and respectful’, the insider added.
‘Lots of people misjudge Denzel and don’t know if he is in a good mood or not until it is too late. He isn’t one to give you a long leash when you are just out to get something from him. He feels justified in these outbursts because his personal space is always being compromised.’
Following the outburst Washington abruptly left Cannes Film Festival to return to New York City, but the source says his departure was unrelated to the red carpet incident.
They said: ‘Conveniently Denzel had to leave Cannes for his Othello show, to be back in time. It worked out in such a way that he missed any chance of talking about his moment on the red carpet, and he is happy about it.
‘Because he doesn’t want the movie and everything that everyone worked on to be whittled down to one moment that had nothing to do with the movie whatsoever. It has overshadowed his experience a bit but he is hoping that everyone can get over with it, watch the movie and move on.
‘Not one person from the film is mad at Denzel and not one person is going to bring up a fuss about what happened.
‘It is all about celebrating Denzel and everyone is happy that he was there and received the honorary Palme d’Or. Spike Lee and all his peers love him, think of him in high regard and will continue to from this point on.
‘Whatever happened on the carpet is a far second and non-existent in their eyes. He’s not going to get in trouble for it in any way.’
An insider has now dished exclusively to the Daily Mail on how Washington’s initially playful encounter with the press turned volatile, and why the actor’s strong morals compelled him to lash out so publicly.
‘Lots of people misjudge Denzel and don’t know if he is in a good mood or not until it is too late. He isn’t one to give you a long leash when you are just out to get something from him.’
Washington has been attracting unwanted attention for his snappy demeanor off-camera, as well as his acclaimed roles, over the years.
He was filmed shouting at fans as he arrived at NYC’s Museum of Modern Art for a film benefit honoring Samuel L. Jackson – with the tense exchange captured in a dramatic video in October 2024.
The Man on Fire star was seen arriving at the museum and posing with a fan – while autograph hunters called his name to the side.
A visibly annoyed Washington went to walk inside but then turned and addressed a fan in the crowd.
The actor was seen pointing his finger and heard saying: ‘I heard you. You talk about showing love…’
‘…Respecting me’ to which the fan said ‘we already do.’
Washington retorted: ‘I said I’ll see you when I get out, which part of that don’t y’all understand?
‘It’s about showing love’ – before raising his voice and declaring ‘or not, or not! we can do it another way… or not, we can do it both ways!’
The star let loose on a group of autograph seekers outside the Museum Of Modern Art in New York in October last year
Josh Brolin revealed that he ‘almost got into a fight’ with Washington on the set of their 2007 movie American Gangster – with Washington telling him ‘don’t ever f*****g put your hand on me’
It has been claimed Denzel once got into a heated argument with Sean ‘ Diddy ‘ Combs following a night of partying back in 2003 (pictured together in 2008)
The following month Brolin claimed Washington had lashed out at him as they played a mob boss and police officer in American Gangster in 2007.
Recalling the incident on set with Washington, Brolin said: ‘I put my hand on his shoulder and I said, “What’s the line?” and he hit my hand off and he said, “Don’t ever f*****g put your hand on me.”
‘And I was like, “Holy s***, I’m gonna scrap with Denzel Washington. This is crazy.” We’re not actors anymore … at least in my mind.’
Brolin said upon reflection Washington may have been in character when he snapped at him.
‘In his mind, he was just doing his job. He was Frank Lucas, period. But I didn’t know. And then we got through that moment and I said, “Are you OK?” He said, “Yeah, you?” I said “Yeah. Can I get my line?” He’s like, “Yeah, go for it.” It’s like he said what he needed to say.
‘Denzel and I, by the way, get along very well now.’
It has also been claimed Denzel once got into a heated argument with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs following a night of partying back in 2003, shouting at the rapper ‘you don;t respect anyone.’
In the early 2000s, Washington and Diddy were seen out together on a number of occasions, including the 2001 Essence Awards, former President Barack Obama’s first inauguration in 2009 and two NBA games.
It is unclear what the men were fighting about, but there is no indication that the fight is related to Diddy’s current criminal charges.
Denzel and Diddy’s representatives have not returned DailyMail.com’s requests for comment, at this time.
