Exclusive: Highest 2 Lowest's Denzel Washington, Spike Lee earn 'greatest duo' praise from Jeffrey Wright

At this point, it should come as no surprise that Highest 2 Lowest filmmaker Spike Lee and his star, Denzel Washington, are “comfortable” with one another.

That's one of the benefits of making five films together over the last few decades. Whether or not you're a fan of Washington and Lee, their work is undeniable.

Upon reading the script of Highest 2 Lowest, Washington “knew” Lee was the right director to make it. He was “happy” when Lee signed on. Throughout their careers, which have been filled with success, the two have bonded, creating a “shorthand.”

“Obviously, we've had great success together. There's a shorthand that has come from making five films together,” said Washington. “I don't wanna say anything old about it, but it's comfortable, and he knows how I work. I know how he works, and we leave each other alone, basically.”

In the case of Highest 2 Lowest, Washington was surrounded by an A-list cast, making his life easier. His co-star, Jeffrey Wright, was sitting next to him during our interview. His son, Elijah, was also part of the cast. The rest of the ensemble featured some rappers, including Ice Spice and A$AP Rocky.

“He surrounded me with great actors — from Jeffrey's son on up to Jeffrey — and then he, importantly, gets outta the way, and does his thing and lets us do ours,” Washington concluded.

There may be a reason Lee allows Washington to have his space.

“Spike has so much respect for Denzel,” Wright chimed in. “I mean, he has a real, genuine love for Denzel. I think that was overriding, and [he had] a genuine excitement about being back in the ring with you.”

The lovefest for “one of the great duos in the history of American cinema,” as Wright puts it, did not end there. Wright continued singing the praises of Washington and Spike Lee.

“I think for him, and I think for all of us who sit back and the audience [of] the work that you've done, that's the top of the shelf for him,” praised Wright. “And the work? Come on. Come on. I mean, this is one of the great duos in the history of American cinema. So, Spike was thrilled. And we were all thrilled.”

How do Denzel Washington and Jeffrey Wright find their next biggest hit after Highest 2 Lowest?

In Highest 2 Lowest, Washington plays David King, a once revolutionary record label manager. However, nowadays, he is scrounging for his next big hit.

It's an addiction, as any career-driven person can attest to. However, Washington and Wright, who have both had their fair share of hits and misses, look at this differently.

For Wright, he doesn't weigh prospective scripts based on their box office potential, since that is out of their control. He is just going for the highest quality projects.

“I don't really look at it like that,” said Wright, “[I'm] really, genuinely looking to make a good piece, find an interesting script, gather a great group of collaborators, and make something that we feel good about.”

Ultimately, a film's box office success is out of his control. “You don't know what it's going to do in terms of box office, if that's what a hit is, [so I'm] just trying to do something that's interesting that I haven't done before, that I enjoy doing, and leave the other stuff to someone else. Really, I don't look at it that way.”

Washington conceded that it's “a little harder” as a marquee name like he is. A Spike Lee joint starring Denzel Washington will always be looked at with a certain level of prestige. And yet, Washington is just trying to find a needle in the haystack amidst the age of streaming.

“[It's] a little harder when your name's above the title,” he sheepishly said, causing Wright to chuckle, “but it's one of the interesting things that we're going through in this industry now with the Netflixes and different streamers that there's not as much pressure, upfront, to have that big, crazy [opening] weekend.”

In the middle of his sentence, Washington caught himself. Apple Original Films is one of Highest 2 Lowest's distributors, along with A24, and Washington kept mentioning one of their top competitors.

“I'm saying Netflix, it's Apple, right?” he asked me and Wright. “It's Apple. Whoever you are, send me my money! Send me my money, whoever y'all are.”

He later quipped, “Tell Apple I was just kidding. I was playing for you.”