“Don’t touch me again”: Denzel Washington’s surprising rule on a thriller set

At 70, Denzel Washington has cemented his status as one of Hollywood’s all-time greats. His filmography reads like a greatest hits list: “American Gangster,” “Philadelphia,” “Much Ado About Nothing,” “The Book of Eli”… and “Safe House,” a 2012 thriller directed by Daniel Espinosa that recently revealed a curious behind-the-scenes story involving Washington and stunt coordinator Oliver Schneider.

Denzel Washington’s on-set showdown

In a video shared recently by Schneider, he recounted a moment during the filming of “Safe House” when he sat down with Washington to review previews of several fight sequences. As they watched, Washington began quizzing Schneider about the movie, checking whether he had thoroughly studied the script.

After reviewing footage of his stunt double demonstrating the choreography, Washington noticed a discrepancy: in one fight, his opponent struck him six times while he only landed five hits. The actor was firm and clear: “I’m the star of the movie. Don’t touch me again.”

Schneider reassured him it was just a minor fight and that he would have another chance to square off against his opponent later. Washington agreed, but not without one more request: “He hits me five times, and I’ll hit him five times.”

Where to watch Denzel Washington’s ‘Safe House’

Currently, ‘Safe House’ is available to stream or download in the United States on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google TV, YouTube and Fandango at Home.

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