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Many associate Don Cheadle solely with his MCU fame. A few have failed to acknowledge the actor’s stature within the industry as a multifaceted talent willing to undertake versatile endeavors. Cheadle has been relentlessly active in his cinematic pursuits since the early 1980s, showing no signs of slowing down!
Don Cheadle
Providing a thorough background on some of his most iconic roles, the two-time Golden Globe winner revealed the time he was almost rejected from participating in one of his breakthrough undertakings, and that too because of Hollywood sensation Denzel Washington. It ultimately took director Carl Franklin a bit of convincing to finally accept Cheadle’s involvement in the 1995 film Devil in a Blue Dress.
Don Cheadle Starred In 1995’s Devil in a Blue Dress
Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)
Starring alongside Denzel Washington in 1995’s Devil in a Blue Dress, Don Cheadle was able to embody the role of Mouse Alexander. The neo-noir thriller is based on the 1990 novel penned by Walter Mosley. While most performances observed in the film were praise-worthy, the MCU alum’s depiction of Mouse was specifically lauded by critics. With his showstopping portrayal, the Iron Man 2 star would go on to receive numerous awards for his significant contributions to the premise.
On Rotten Tomatoes, Carl Franklin’s 1995 film enjoys an approval rating of 92% with the Critics’ Consensus stating the following:
“Humor, interesting characters, and attention to details make the stylish Devil in a Blue Dress an above average noir.”
Don Cheadle as Mouse Alexander
Despite its positive critical reception, the film’s commercial success was comparatively bleak. Against a budget of $27 million, the film amassed around $16 million in the United States and Canada. The worldwide gross totaled a meager $22 million.
Regardless of its commercial standing, the film allowed Don Cheadle to be acknowledged as a force to reckon with. Owing to his compelling on-screen presence, it becomes impossible to imagine the Carl Franklin-directed project without the actor in it. However, there was a time when the director himself was reluctant to have the-then up-and-coming Cheadle star in the same premise as established actor Denzel Washington.
Why Don Cheadle Was Nearly Rejected From The 1995 Film
Carl Franklin feared that Denzel Washington and Don Cheadle weren’t “contemporaries”
In a GQ video, Don Cheadle engaged in a discussion where he dissected the iconic characters he has portrayed throughout his career. Subsequently, he shed light on his experience of working in Devil in a Blue Dress. The House of Lies star had collaborated with director Carl Franklin before. However, the image that the filmmaker initially formed of the actor stayed the same.
Franklin grew concerned about having Cheadle share the stage with Denzel Washington as they were not “contemporaries”. The two-time Oscar-winning star was a decade ahead of the Secret Invasion alum, both in terms of age and experience. The filmmaker was hence convinced that the endeavor wouldn’t work out.
Following is how Don Cheadle recalls the encounter:
“I had worked with Carl Franklin, the director before … So, I came in and I was just in his head, stuck in the same age. I was 19 years old to him. He was like, ‘You’re not Denzel’s contemporary. This isn’t gonna work.’ I am 10 years younger than him [Denzel Washington].”
Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)
Two factors were instrumental in convincing Carl Franklin: Denzel Washington’s persuasion s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s and the “instant chemistry” that the two actors shared as they read for their respective roles. On a different occasion, the Hotel Rwanda alum revealed how Washington urged Franklin to consider his involvement in the film:
“Denzel’s like ‘Well I’ll age down five years, you’ll age him up five years and then we’ll be contemporaries. It’s not a big deal.’”
This is how the two prominent Hollywood actors managed to appear together in a movie without allowing their age gap to affect the storyline or their respective character depictions. With how monumental Cheadle’s acting was in Devil in a Blue Dress, it would’ve been a huge blunder to exclude him from the movie.
Thankfully, things worked out for the better, and critics were blessed with Don Cheadle’s breakthrough performance in the Carl Franklin-helmed premise.
Devil in a Blue Dress is available on Amazon Prime Video via buying/renting.
Source: GQ
