Denzel Washington was surprised by Thierry Fremaux the Cannes Film Festival chief with an honorary Palme d’Or before the premiere of Highest 2 Lowest on Monday night.
“This is my brother, right here,” said the film’s director Spike Lee, who passed the award to Washington.
“This is a total surprise for me,” said Washington.
Washington had sandwiched a whirlwind trip to the Cannes Film Festival in between Broadway performances for the premiere of Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest on Monday.
Cannes moved around some of its scheduling to accommodate Washington’s visit, which came on his day off from performing Othello in New York.
Highest 2 Lowest premiered on Monday night in Cannes. And while the festival’s photo calls usually happen the following day, Cannes hosted one for Highest 2 Lowest earlier on Monday.
Washington, playfully posing with Lee and co-star Asap Rocky, showed no signs of jet leg. He was expected to fly back to New York immediately after the screening.
Lee also came to Cannes with obligations back in New York on his mind. He arrived at the film’s premiere decked out in New York Knicks basketball team’s colours and wearing a blue and orange striped suit.
That Washington would be able to make the trip had been a sticking point for Cannes. When the festival first announced its line-up last month, Highest 2 Lowest was not announced.
Within hours, however, Lee himself announced the film was heading to Cannes.
Representatives for the festival said they had been waiting for confirmation that Washington would attend to walk the red carpet.
The festival usually gives out one or two honorary Palmes each edition — last year the awardees were Studio Ghibli and George Lucas.
Last week, Robert De Niro received one on the festival’s opening night. De Niro’s award was announced in advance, but surprise prizes are not unheard of; in 2022, Tom Cruise was presented with a surprise honorary Palme d’Or just before the screening of Top Gun: Maverick.
Highest 2 Lowest, a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 film High and Low, will be released in cinemas in the US on August 22 before streaming on Apple TV+ on September 5.
