Denzel Washington Constantly Pranked Tom Hanks While Shooting Philadelphia

Some of the greatest actors of our time have something else in common along with being dedicated to their craft: Many of them are top-level pranksters. The late Alan Rickman once planted a farting machine on the set of "Harry Potter," for example, while Harrison Ford turned the iconic mine chase in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" into an ice cream-covered mess. And somehow, even during the heart-wrenching courtroom drama "Philadelphia," Denzel Washington found a way to get some giggles from his co-star Tom Hanks, even if the prank was at Hanks' expense.

In 1993, Washington took on the role of Joe Miller, an attorney who comes to the defense of Andrew Beckett (Hanks), a lawyer who is wrongly fired from his law firm after his bosses discover he's gay and has AIDS. The role demanded that Hanks undergo a massive transformation as a man fighting a losing battle with the virus while also taking on a legal fight. This led him to lose around 26 pounds, which Washington didn't hesitate to make light of during the production.

"I used to mess with Tom. He was barely eating at all, and I would put, like, 200 Almond Joys in his drawer to give him a hard time. I'd pretend to sneeze and all these Snickers would fall on the ground," Washington confessed to Entertainment Weekly. "I'm sure he laughed all the way up to the podium when he won the Oscar." Washington was right. Hanks won his first Academy Award in what was one of his best performances. It would be decades later, though, when Hanks would make fun of his co-star in front of a huge audience, for one of the industry's biggest honors.

In 2016, Washington was awarded the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globes in 2016, which was presented to him by his "Philadelphia" co-star. Shortly after taking to the stage, Hanks took his chance to get back at the award winner, much to his amusement. Asking for the audience to quiet down, Hanks declared, "I'm going to treat you all like Denzel would treat you," Hanks said before throwing a Washington-like look and breaking out into a slow clap that mirrored his "Philadelphia" screen partner's unmistakable stance.

The gag got a big laugh from Washington, who could be heard among the audience before Hanks got down to business and commended the groundbreaking Hollywood legend for his efforts. "A single name can define an artist who is a peer and equal of all of the greatest legends of our craft," Hanks proclaimed. "If Washington doesn't ring out loud enough, then let the first name carry all the weight. And that name is Denzel." All jokes aside, on this occasion, game did indeed recognize game just as much as it did all the way back in 1993.