'ANTWONE FISHER' Denzel's directing dream

Denzel Washington said he tried not to draw too much attention to himself in the film, in which he also acted.
By MILAN PAURICH
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
TORONTO -- Three months before Entertainment Weekly christened him their "Entertainer of the Year," Denzel Washington was already sitting on top of the world.
Washington's labor-of-love "Antwone Fisher" had just premiered to a rapturous standing ovation at the Toronto Film Festival, and the two-time Oscar-winning actor was already hearing awards buzz, this time for directing.
"Winning [for Best Director] would be like Antwone Fisher saying, 'You did a great job.' I'm happy that he's happy with the film -- that's enough for me," Washington stated emphatically. "It's a 15-pound statuette," he said. "And, really, how much better can my career get anyway? Man gives the award, but God gives the reward."
"'This is for Antwone'; 'do it for Antwone.' That was Denzel's mantra while we were making the film," recalled "Fisher" producer Todd Black. "Denzel was always the first to arrive on the set and the last to leave. He knew what he was doing every second, and his instincts were impeccable."
Putting focus on Fisher
& quot;It's called acting," Washington said with a laugh after overhearing Black's testimonial to his preparedness. "I sat down with my director of photography [Philippe Rousselot] and told him that I didn't want to do anything with the camera that would draw undue attention to myself. Even sticking the credits on at the end was a deliberate choice since I didn't want everyone to have to see my name a half-dozen times before the movie actually started," he continued. "It's all about the boy [Fisher], so keeping it simple and concentrating on his story was what interested me."
When casting the lead roles, Washington elected to go with relative unknowns, Derek Luke and Joy Bryant.
"These were two very gifted young people. It was simply a matter of helping them bring out talent they already had," he said. "I just hope that this experience opens some more doors for them. There's a persistent lack of quality material for African-American actors in Hollywood, and a lot of work still needs to be done to improve that situation."
Shot in Cleveland
Since a portion of the movie was shot in Fisher's old Cleveland neighborhood, many of his friends and relatives got to visit the set, some even appearing as extras.
"The people of Cleveland were great and so happy that we were there," Washington said. "They worked endlessly for us, and it was really refreshing to meet so many wholesome, honest folks. I always love to shoot on location because the city can be a rich character all by itself, and that was definitely the case with Cleveland."
Washington says that simply observing some of the world-class talent he's worked with over the past 20 years (including Spike Lee, Jonathan Demme and Norman Jewison) helped prepare him to direct his first film.
Learned along the way
"I used to bug my directors all the time and never realized how much I knew until I actually had to do it myself," he said. "Of course, acting in a film you're directing can be very labor-intensive since you have to constantly jump in and out of your role. Still, making a movie isn't all that tough. Being homeless like Antwone was for a period in his life, now that's tough," Washington added.
Was it difficult returning to work as merely a performer after directing?
"It's hard to keep your mouth shut and resist saying, 'I've got a few ideas,'" Washington admitted with a grin. "I'm definitely more impatient as an actor now, but it's almost like a paid vacation since I get to stay in my trailer. & quot;