NEW YORK -- From homicidal to inspirational.
Denzel Washington goes far afield from the violent, drug-addled arena of heroin kingpin Frank Lucas for his next film, The Great Debaters, which he co-stars in and directed.
Due in December, it recounts the true, underdog story of a small-town, African-American college debate team in 1935 that went all the way to the national championships against Harvard. The movie is produced by Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Productions. "I'm very happy with the film," Washington says. "It's a completely different film than (American Gangster) ... It's a great movie for these young actors."
And a great opportunity for Washington to further hone his directorial skills.
"Professionally now, I'm sort of heading into another direction, getting behind the camera," says the 52-year-old. "I'm sure that's my new career."
It's a sentiment not echoed by his Gangster co-star Russell Crowe, who sounds more than content to continue acting. "It's always a privilege to make movies," Crowe says. "It's an expensive, creative medium and people allow me to do it ... There are things as an actor I couldn't do in any other (profession). I've got a strange personality, but film requires strange people."
Crowe will reunite with Gangster director Ridley Scott for his next two projects: Body of Lies, a Middle East thriller with Leonardo DiCaprio, and the Robin Hood-themed adventure Nottingham starring Crowe as the Sheriff of Nottingham (who's the hero in this re-imagining of the legend).
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