Initially, Denzel Washington was slated to portray a crucial character in Leave the World Behind, a decision that could have diluted the character’s impact on the narrative. Netflix’s apocalyptic psychological thriller is based on the 2020 book of the same name by Rumaan Alam and follows the Sandford family vacationing on Long Island. Leave the World Behind’s cast features several notable names, including Julia Roberts (Amanda Sanford), Mahershala Ali (G.H. Scott), and Ethan Hawke (Clay Sanford).
The narrative takes a thrilling turn when two strangers, claiming to be the homeowners of the Airbnb seeking refuge from a city blackout, disrupt the Sandford getaway. As tensions escalate in the collapsing world, the intricacies of the relationships, particularly the dynamic between Amanda and G.H. Scott, take center stage. The mysterious G.H. Scott and his daughter add a layer of mystery that keeps the audience questioning their true intentions. However, different casting could have diminished the tension between the two families in the Netflix psychological thriller.
5 Movies Like Leave The World Behind
There are several apocalyptic, isolated, suspenseful thrillers like Leave the World Behind that fans of the Netflix film may also enjoy.
Denzel Washington Was Originally Supposed To Play G.H. Scott In Leave The World Behind
Upon Netflix’s official announcement of the adaptation of Leave the World Behind in 2020, Denzel Washington was set to play the character of G.H. Scott. Washington and Julia Roberts were also serving as producers for the film. However, in September 2021, Washington departed from both his producer and actor roles in the film.
This led to Mahershala Ali replacing Washington in Leave the Word Behind. The exact reason for Washington’s departure was not disclosed, but a probable explanation could be a scheduling conflict with another production. With Washington leaving the project in September 2021 and the announcement of the development of The Equalizer 3 in January 2022, Washington may have dropped the role in Leave the World Behind to reprise his role of Robert McCall.
Denzel Washington’s Movie Character Legacy Would Have Spoiled G.H.’s Character
The departure of Denzel Washington from the role of G.H. Scott in Leave the World Behind may have been beneficial for the movie based on the actor’s history of not playing villains. G.H.’s intentions are unclear at the start, and an actor who keeps the audience guessing whether they are good or bad adds to the plot. Washington has a track record for playing good guy roles or antiheroes, like McCall in The Equalizer and Herman Boone in Remember the Titans. The closest Washington came to playing a true villain was in Training Day and his portrayal of Alonzo Harris, a corrupt narcotics detective in the LAPD’s Narcotics Division.
Washington’s portrayal of G.H. could have minimized the tension in the interactions with the Sandford family due to his established reputation for playing characters who are good. Conversely, Ali possesses a diverse acting history, playing both heroic figures and notable villains, like Cottonmouth in the Marvel series Luke Cage. This versatility makes it less predictable for audiences to discern whether Ali’s character is being truthful or not. Ali lacks the same established legacy and expectations for his character’s intentions as Washington, making him a more compelling choice to maintain the mystery in the narrative until Leave the World Behind’s ending.
Washington’s Leave The World Behind Exit Ruined 2 Huge Movie Reunions
Nonetheless, Washington’s departure from the film Leave the World Behind resulted in missed opportunities for two significant reunions. In 1993, Washington starred alongside Roberts in the legal thriller film The Pelican Brief. The film follows Darby Shaw (Roberts) and Washington Herald reporter Gray Grantham (Washington), who work to uncover the reason why an assassin named Khamel kills two Supreme Court justices.
Then, in 2001, Washington and Hawke starred in the crime thriller Training Day together. Training Day is a police drama about a veteran officer who escorts a rookie on his first day with the LAPD’s tough inner-city narcotics unit. Hawke played ambitious Los Angeles Police Department Officer Jake Hoyt, who is assigned to corrupt narcotics detective Alonzo Harris (Washington) for his evaluation. As mentioned, Washington’s role as Alonzo was the closest he came to playing a villain, but the portrayal wasn’t convincing enough to change the actor’s good-guy legacy.
Hawke was nominated for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role, and Washington won his second Best Actor Oscar for his performance as Harris. Washinton’s exit from Netflix’s Leave the World Behind prevented the on-screen reunions with both Roberts, whom he hadn’t worked with in 30 years, and Hawke, whom he hadn’t worked with in 22 years. However, this departure from Leave the World Behind paved the way for Ali to assume the role of G.H. Scott, preserving the mystery surrounding the character in the narrative for the audience.
