While Remember the Titans added another star to Denzel Washington’s already star-studded career, the actor didn’t initially want to take on the role for some reasons all too genuine.

Denzel Washington is one of the best stars Hollywood could ever lay its hands on. A legendary actor with some of the most remarkable on-screen works up his resume, he has starred in numerous different genres: From action to comedy to sports – he has shown his incredible acting chops in all.

Denzel Washington

In fact, his big screen works are so spectacular that they have even brought tears to Washington’s own eyes, just like they did when he watched Remember the Titans in theatre. But behind his crying over the superhit sports/drama film, there were reasons more than one: One of which included the coach he played telling him he wasn’t good enough for the role.

Denzel Washington Cried While Watching The Film He Was Told He Wasn’t Good For

Denzel Washington in a still from Remember the Titans (2000)

Although Denzel Washington finally agreed to play Virginia High School’s football coach Herman Boone in Remember the Titans, something else stood in his way to tell him he wasn’t good enough for the role.

Talking to the Tampa Bay Times, The Equalizer actor shared:

“The first thing [Coach Boone] tells me is that I’m all wrong for the part. Mostly because I’m not handsome enough. I think he’s kidding me, then I realize he’s dead serious. He’s a real old-school, football-coach piece of work. […]

Then his wife tells me later he’s actually got it written in his will. Prickly is not the word for this guy. His wife says she’s happy I got to meet him after he had mellowed; she said he’s about a third as tough as he used to be.”

This encounter encouraged Washington even more to take on the role and give his utter best as the coach. Thus, the film started, and the actor wouldn’t be anything else apart from a football coach as long as he was on the set.

However, as tough as he was on set, he became equally emotional while watching the film in the theatre. Continuing, the Training Day actor shared his experience of first watching the movie:

“I’m sitting there in the theater, trying to pretend like I’m not crying, just like all guys do,” Washington said. “But I was moved by it. I’m thinking, ‘What’s the matter with me? I’m in this movie, and I’m crying.’ Then I thought, ‘Well, good. I did my job.’”

Denzel Washington Didn’t Want To Star In Remember the Titans For Several Reasons

A still from Remember the Titans (2000)

During the same interview, Denzel Washington also shared how he didn’t want to take on the role of Remember the Titans initially because of some understandably justified reasons.

“I was just coming off Hurricane and the controversy of that, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to go there again so soon. You think people are sticklers about the actual facts of what happened in the civil rights struggle or a capital murder case, wait until you start messing with some legendary high school football season from 30 years ago,” Washington said. “You get one play wrong and they’ll kill you.”

Continuing, he let out what changed his mind apart from his meeting with the real Coach Boone. He said:

“I didn’t want to make this movie because of any message it contained, but I think what it says is real and important to say. What everyone on the T.C. Williams team — players and coaches, too — learned was that when people get to know about each other, all those preconceptions fade. We learn from people who are different from us. Our lives are enriched by them.”

Just like that, Denzel Washington ended up doing the splendid masterpiece that was a commercial as well as a critical success titled Remember the Titans.