Denzel Washington’s Rejected Fast & Furious Role Was A Lucky Escape From $2.7Bn Disappointments

As a veteran actor, Denzel Washington has played many iconic characters throughout his nearly 50-year-long career, but one rejected role in the Fast & Furious franchise saved him from a $2.7 billion disappointment. The Fast & Furious films are one of the most lucrative franchises being made today. Washington has a history of delivering great performances in action movies, so it tracks that he would be considered for a role in the high-octane series. However, Washington turned down the offer to appear in the films, and it’s a good thing he did.

Even though he’s had an immensely successful career, achieving nine Academy Award nominations so far, Washington has missed out on massive film roles. He has expressed regret over turning down the lead part in Se7en and was overlooked for roles in hits like Blade and Dreamgirls. That said, Washington hasn’t shown regret for vetoing a role in The Fast Saga. This is likely because he knows that despite the massive box-office draw that the films have, accepting the part would have been a waste of his time and talent.

Mr. Nobody Would’ve Been A Total Waste Of Denzel Washington

Mr. Nobody Was Played By Kurt Russell In The Fast & Furious Franchise

It’s believed that Denzel Washington was offered the role of Mr. Nobody, the enigmatic government agent who first made an appearance in Furious 7. Instead, the role of Mr. Nobody went to another iconic action star, Kurt Russell. Although Mr. Nobody has a relatively small role in the grand scheme of the Fast & Furious franchise, he does have a significant impact on several storylines. He introduced Ramsey to Dom’s crew and led Hobbs and Shaw to team up. In an interesting bit of retconning, F9 revealed Mr. Nobody even saved Han from the crash that presumably killed him in Tokyo Drift.

Unfortunately, the franchise seems to have run out of ideas for him after The Fate of the Furious. Mr. Nobody’s screen time gets less significant with each Fast & Furious movie, with his last real appearance being a distress call in F9, where he was presumably killed. It’s disappointing to see Russell’s potential wasted like this, and Oscar-winner Washington would presumably have had even higher expectations had he been cast. Even though The Fate Of The Furious, F9, and Fast X made a combined $2.7 billion at the box office, it would have been a waste of Washington’s skills to resign him to such a minimal role.

Would Mr. Nobody’s Role Have Changed With Denzel Washington Playing Him?

Denzel Washington Would Have Likely Changed Mr. Nobody’s Arc

Mr. Nobody’s character is so closely tied to Kurt Russell’s persona that it’s difficult to imagine Denzel Washington in the role. The version of Mr. Nobody that the franchise used is jovial and easy-going despite his position of power, similar to classic Kurt Russell action movie characters like Jack Burton or Stuntman Mike. Washington’s on-screen persona is on an entirely opposite end of that spectrum. Although the actor has shown incredible range throughout his career, Washington’s characters tend to be much more serious than Russell’s, remaining stoic and reticent until it’s time to deliver an Oscar-worthy monologue.

It’s possible that having such a renowned actor in the role of Mr. Nobody would push the Fast franchise to give him more to do, but the films have wasted Oscar winners before. Fast X had four Oscar winners in its cast, including Helen Miren, Rita Moreno, Charlize Theron, and Brie Larson, who were given little to do on screen. Ultimately, The Fast Saga is at its best when it focuses on Dom’s family. Adding in additional characters for each installment, no matter how talented the actors are, makes it feel overcrowded and distracts from the real draw of the films.

Rejecting Furious 7 Meant More Room For Better Denzel Washington Movies

Passing On The Fast Saga Allowed Denzel Washington To Focus On Other Projects

By rejecting the role of Mr. Nobody, Washington made room for more exciting opportunities. It’s common for actors to get locked into a franchise and lose out on other, more interesting roles because of it. It’s possible that if he had been tied to the Fast franchise, especially if the writers expanded Mr. Nobody’s role to give him more to work with, Washington wouldn’t have been available to film critically acclaimed dramas like Roman J. Israel, Esq., The Tragedy of Macbeth, or 2016’s Fences, all of which earned him Academy Award nominations.

The Fast & Furious franchise’s schedule may have also interfered with Washington’s Equalizer franchise. The Equalizer films don’t pull in the same numbers as the Fast films, but Washington is the star instead of being resigned to an increasingly minor role. The franchise marked a new chapter in Washington’s career, and his collaboration with director Antoine Fuqua has been an exciting addition to the action movie canon. Despite this, Washington hinted he may not return for Equalizer 4. Although it’s disappointing to lose his character, Robert McCall, this new chapter of his career could lead to even greater roles.