The Equalizer 3 director Antoine Fuqua reveals that test screenings led to some flirtatious Denzel Washington scenes being cut from the film. After two previous outings, Washington returns as retired government assassin Robert McCall for one last blood-soaked outing. The film, which earned mostly positive reviews from critics, sees McCall living a peaceful life in Italy when he’s forced to go back to his violent ways in order to protect people he cares about.
In a recent interview with NME not long after The Equalizer 3‘s release in theaters, Fuqua details the negative test audience reaction to certain McCall scenes in an early cut of the film. The director reveals that McCall was initially much more flirtatious with Aminah, the owner of a local cafe, but it felt too much like a betrayal of McCall’s late wife. Check out Fuqua’s full comment below:
“There was more [to Robert and Aminah’s relationship in the script], but the audience didn’t want to see Robert McCall in love… We did a test screening and they really felt like it was a betrayal of the wife, you know, so we decided to pull that back.
“[In the film] he was trying to move forward with his life and, you know, flirt a little bit. He was taken aback by the girl Aminah. Nothing aggressive or anything, he was a bit reluctant. But we pulled back on these scenes where he would sit and think about his wife… I think the audience that loves Robert McCall and that ideal of his wife, you know, is perfection ‘cos we never met her. So there’s something about a person who’s gone, who was perfect.”
Was Cutting McCall’s Equalizer 3 Romance The Right Choice?
McCall remains a very mysterious individual throughout the franchise, but the first two movies do reveal bits of information about his past. It’s revealed, for example, that McCall faked his own death in order to spend time with Vivienne, the woman who would become his wife. Vivienne then passes away, however, and the story of the first Equalizer movie picks up with McCall attempting to complete her unrealized goal of finishing the “100 Books That Everybody Should Read'”.
In addition to his book-related goals, Vivienne’s death largely shapes McCall into the person that he is in the movies. McCall dedicates his life to fighting for those who can’t fight for themselves, dishing out his own form of justice upon those who prey on the innocent. Even though Vivienne never appears in the flesh, she has a huge impact on the franchise and on McCall’s entire approach to life.
It makes sense, then, why test audiences weren’t on board with McCall exploring a potential romantic relationship with Aminah. That being said, it’s likely that Vivienne would have wanted McCall to pursue happiness with someone else after her death, and the inclusion of such a scene may have helped smooth over issues related to his flirting. It should be mentioned, however, that exploring McCall’s romantic life hasn’t been what the previous films were really about, and it makes sense why Fuqua opted to keep The Equalizer 3 focused on the McCall that audiences know and love.
