UPDATE 05/20/25 at 4:55 p.m. ET — Denzel Washington’s absence from a Cannes Film Festival press conference was a planned one.
Director Spike Lee and actors Jeffrey Wright and Ilfenesh Hadera answered questions about their new film Highest 2 Lowest at the festival on Tuesday, May 20. Missing from the conference was Washington, who was seen in what seemed to be a tense exchange with a photographer at the film’s red carpet premiere the night prior.
The incident, however, was not the cause of his absence. A rep for the actor tells Us Weekly the Oscar winner was “always scheduled to be in and out of Cannes on Monday,” as it was his only day off from his Broadway play Othello.
Washington flew back to New York City after attending a cast photocall and the film’s premiere on Monday, May 19. “The studio and festival were aware weeks ago, ahead of time, that he would not be available for the press conference today due to his work commitment on the play,” his rep told Us in a statement.
Washington, 70, attended the world premiere for his film Higheset 2 Lowest on Monday, May 19. Per a video shared by the Daily Mail, the Oscar winner was spotted speaking with director Spike Lee on the red carpet when a photographer grabbed his arm to get his attention. Washington then turned to the photographer and pointed his finger warning him to stop.
Although the photographer smiled and appeared to nod in agreement, he then attempted to grab the actor again, causing Washington to turn around and once again repeatedly ask him to “stop.”
Despite the tense exchange, a rep for Washington told Us Weekly that it was a “great night at the Cannes Film Festival.”
Once inside, Washington’s evening continued to improve as his and Lee’s movie received a six-minute standing ovation, Deadline reported.
Highest 2 Lowest is the re-imagination of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 crime thriller High and Low, which is based on the King’s Ransom written by Ed McBain.
Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images
In the new movie, a titan music mogul (Washington) becomes the target of a ransom plot in modern-day New York City and must face a life-or-death moral dilemma because of it.
After the Cannes screening on Monday, Lee, 68, sang Washington’s praises as he presented him with an honorary Palme d’Or Award. “This is my brother, right here,” Lee said of Washington, who replied, “This is a total surprise for me!”
Denzel’s Cannes drama comes less than one year after he was filmed yelling at fans clamoring for an autograph in October 2024. At the time, Washington was spotted snapping at onlookers in New York City who were standing outside the Museum of Modern Art in hopes of catching his eye.
“I said, ‘I’ll see you when I get out, which part of that don’t y’all understand?’” Washington said in a video obtained by the Daily Mail last year.
He added, “It’s about showing love” and then was heard raising his voice before quipping, “Or not, or not! We can do it another way … or not, we can do it both ways!”
