This Sci-Fi Box Office Hit About Artificial Intelligence Was Rejected By Denzel Washington

For most of his legendary career, Denzel Washington has been able to call his tune. Studios are eager to be in business with him, and it certainly helps his cause that he enjoys making commercial films from time to time (as evidenced by his "Equalizer" movies). So, post-stardom, if he regrets making or not making a film, he only has himself to blame.

Personally, even though Denzel Washington is my favorite living actor, I do think he's made some mistakes over the years. The formula thriller "The Bone Collector" was limp material that confined him to a bed for most of the movie, while the hospital hostage drama "John Q" was formulaic pap. And I have no idea what he was thinking when he signed on to star opposite two of our most annoying living actors (Jared Leto and Rami Malek, both of whom inexplicably have Oscars) in the serial killer thriller "The Little Things."

But what about Washington? Does he have any regrets? The two-time Oscar winner is generally pretty happy with how his career has turned out, though there are some opportunities that, in retrospect, he wishes he'd leapt on. However, that does not include the Will Smith hit that pondered the potential pitfalls of a future where artificial intelligence is an essential part of human life.

In a 2004 interview with Phase9 pegged to the release of Tony Scott's "Man on Fire" (one of the director's finest films), Washington was asked if there were any roles to which he regretted saying, "No thanks." "The lead in 'The Passion of the Chris,'" joked Washington (the movie was doing blockbuster business at the time of the interview). He then turned serious and said, "The Brad Pitt role in 'Se7en.'" Amazingly, Sylvester Stallone also turned this part down.

But with the summer of 2004 approaching, Washington noted, "I was also recently offered 'I Robot,' but I was worried about the robots, if they got them wrong. Actually, I would have done it, but it came down to a choice between that movie and 'The Manchurian Candidate.'" While Alex Proyas' adaptation of Isaac Asimov's sci-fi book is not without merit, Washington likely would've found himself getting paid very well to make a movie undone in part by studio interference. As such, I'm grateful that he instead teamed up with the great Jonathan Demme to make a severely underrated adaptation of Richard Condon's novel (which had already formed the basis for a stone-cold classic from John Frankenheimer in 1962).

Eight years after this interview, Washington would express regret at turning down the lead role in Tony Gilroy's "Michael Clayton." As he told GQ, "With 'Clayton,' it was the best material I had read in a long time, but I was nervous about a first-time director, and I was wrong. It happens." I would absolutely love to see the Denzel Washington version of "Michael Clayton," but George Clooney certainly aced the assignment. As for "I, Robot," I just wish Alan Tudyk would get more credit for being the best thing in Proyas' movie.