CANNES, France — CANNES, France (AP) — Denzel Washington sandwiched a whirlwind trip to the Cannes Film Festival, in between Broadway performances, for the premiere of Spike Lee’s “Highest 2 Lowest” on Monday — and was rewarded with a surprise: an honorary Palme d’Or.
Cannes Film Festival chief Thierry Frémaux surprised Washington with the award before the Monday night premiere.
“This is my brother, right here,” said the film’s director, Spike Lee, who passed the award to Washington.
While the festival’s photo calls usually happen the day after a film’s premiere, Cannes hosted one for “Highest 2 Lowest” earlier Monday so Washington could attend.
Let’s give it up for Denzel Washington, please.” Lee also came to Cannes with obligations back in New York on his mind.
CANNES, France — CANNES, France (AP) — Denzel Washington received a surprise honorary Palme d’Or for his quick trip to the Cannes Film Festival, which he spent between Broadway shows for the premiere of Spike Lee’s “Highest 2 Lowest,” on Monday.
Cannes had rearranged some of its dates to allow for Washington’s quick trip to France, which coincided with his only day off from playing “Othello” in New York. Prior to the Monday night premiere, Washington was taken aback by the award, which was presented by Thierry Frémaux, the head of the Cannes Film Festival.
The film’s director, Spike Lee, handed the award to Washington and remarked, “This is my brother, right here.”.
“This completely caught me off guard,” Washington remarked.
Each edition of the festival typically bestows one or two honorary Palmes; Studio Ghibli and George Lucas were the recipients of the honors last year. On the first night of the festival last week, Robert De Niro was given one. While surprise awards are not unheard of, De Niro’s award was made public beforehand. For example, Tom Cruise received a surprise honorary Palme d’Or in 2022, right before the premiere of “Top Gun: Maverick.”. “”.
Another surprise at the premiere was that Rihanna and her partner A$AP Rocky went and walked the carpet together. At the Met Gala earlier this month, she announced that she was expecting their third child.
Normally, the festival’s photo calls take place the day after a movie’s premiere, but earlier Monday, Cannes held one for “Highest 2 Lowest” so Washington could go. When the screening started, the actor, who was jokingly posing with Lee and co-star A$AP Rocky, left without displaying any symptoms of jet lag.
Following the film, Lee addressed the audience, saying, “He told me to tell you: Thank you for the love.”. It took a lot for him to fly here because he’s performing in “Othello” on Broadway. I beg you to give it to Denzel Washington. “”.
Lee also had commitments in New York that he had to attend Cannes. He wore a suit with stripes of blue and orange and showed up at the movie’s premiere decked out in Knicks colors. Lee shouted, “New York Knicks!” as he concluded his brief speech in the Palais.
A stumbling block for Cannes had been whether Washington could make the trip. Last month, when the festival first revealed its lineup, “Highest 2 Lowest” was left off. But within a few hours, Lee himself declared that the movie would be attending Cannes. Festival representatives stated that they had been awaiting word that Washington would be attending in order to walk the red carpet.
In August, A24 will unveil “Highest 2 Lowest,” a reimagining of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 film “High and Low,” in theaters. 22 prior to being streamed in September on Apple TV+. 5. .
