Spike Lee and Denzel Washington, two titans in Hollywood, have joined forces again to bring a brand new film, “Highest 2 Lowest,” slated to hit select theaters on Aug. 15. And people are understandably buzzing with excitement!
Suggested Reading
This crime thriller film is just another notch in the “D & Lee” belt as the two have famously collaborated on numerous projects over the years. And while we’ve all come to collectively learn and watch all of their projects, there are some things that we don’t know about the two legendary artists. So we thought we’d break down a handful of little known facts about some of their most iconic films in anticipation of seeing what’s in store for us on August 15th.
Keep reading to get into the goodness!
Spike Lee Teaches Denzel’s Films at NYU
In a new interview for Vanity Fair published on Thursday, Lee revealed that he teaches at least one of the films he’s done with Washington to his film students at New York University (NYU). But for students coming to the esteemed college this fall, they’ll be in for a special treat come September.
“I’ve agreed to come to class,” Washington revealed.
Added Lee, “I’m looking forward to the questions my intelligent students at NYU Film School will have for Mr. Washington.”
Spike Lee Wasn’t Supposed to Direct “Malcolm X”
As incredulous as it may be to believe, Lee almost didn’t direct one of his most brilliant films. In fact, a white director named Norman Jewison was picked by the studios to take over the now beloved Malcolm X biopic. However, once word got out that a white man would be directing a film about a cherished Black civil rights icon, the backlash was swift. Thankfully, Lee stepped in and did the project justice. And thank God he did.
Kobe Bryant Almost Starred Opposite Denzel Washington in “He Got Game”
Though Boston Celtics player Ray Allen went on to get the role in “He Got Game,” Lee initially wanted to it to go to Kobe Bryant. Unfortunately for him, Bryant turned it down as he was too disappointed in his team’s playoff loss to the Utah Jazz in 1997 and wanted to spend the rest of his time getting better for his team, per Bleacher Report. Fortunately for the rest of us though, we still got a good movie regardless.
Denzel Washington Went Through Serious Transformation for “Malcolm X”
In order to give a more accurate portrayal of Malcolm X, Washington reportedly gave up eating pork, spoke to the late civil rights icon’s widow and his two brothers, attended courses from the Nation of Islam and even lost weight. Per one outlet, he dropped 20 pounds in order to have his body look similar to Malcolm’s.
Spike Lee and Denzel Have Only Worked Together 5 Times, Despite the Grandeur of Projects
While Lee and Washington are revered as one of cinema’s most dynamic duos, you might be surprised to know that they’ve only worked together 5 times over the course of their respective careers. Those films are “Mo’Better Blues” in 1990; “Malcolm X” in 1992; “He Got Game” in 1998; “Inside Man” in 2006 and their upcoming film “Highest 2 Lowest.”
Lee recently said that he thinks “Highest” might be the last film they do together seeing as how Washington has made mention of retiring from acting but he hopes that isn’t the case.
Straight From 
Sign up for our free daily newsletter.