Antoine Fuqua on friendship with Denzel Washington, finale of Equalizer franchise, formula for blockbusters
Antoine Fuqua is back in the directorial chair for the third and final film in the Equalizer trilogy, which is also his fifth overall project with Hollywood superstar Denzel Washington.
Washington reprises a signature role, Robert McCall, the former special service commando and government assassin who faked his own death to live a new life. From the first two films, audiences have come to love this antihero trying to make amends for the “very bad things” he did in the past by employing his skills to serve justice to the abused, exploited and oppressed.
In the third installment, McCall realizes that while helping those who cannot help themselves gives him solace, it means he is still living a life defined by violence.
The American director said in the production notes that this is the state audiences will see McCall in: He’s having an internal battle and questioning himself,“Has he gone too far? Is he enjoying it too much? Is he still doing it for the right reasons?”
“It’s very different from the first two films,” Denzel also said of Equalizer 3 in the production notes. “This movie is about his salvation and letting go of his past.”
According to the synopsis, McCall decides to go overseas and retreats to this small and tranquil coastal town in Southern Italy. He surprisingly feels at home and at peace. But perhaps not for long as his newfound friends are being terrorized by the local mafia. When things turn deadly, he decides to be their protector and takes on the mafia.
The STAR recently joined a virtual roundtable interview with Fuqua to talk more about what to expect from the culmination of the Equalizer franchise.
He spoke about his connection with Washington (whom he also directed in Training Day and The Magnificent Seven), as well as learnings from the first two Equalizer films — both box-office hits when they were released in 2014 and 2018 — which he took note of in the making of the last one.
The filmmaker was also asked about the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike that has prohibited Hollywood actors from promoting their films. Fuqua wasn’t uncomfortable expressing his thoughts about it, saying the directors guild didn’t strike. “This is a film that was done before all this. And I have a job to finish, a commitment to Sony as a director, that we got to release this movie,” he said.
“I’m supportive of what’s going on. But I worry more about the people who aren’t working, who don’t benefit from the negotiations, you know, the people below the line. So my job is to keep things moving. Until they come to an understanding, we still gotta take care of other people.”
Below is the rest of the interview.
On brotherly bond with lead star Denzel:
“It’s trust, a lot of trust, a lot of respect, you know, it developed on Training Day. There’s a rhythm that we created just naturally. And we made a promise never to tie each other’s hands so that we can both be experimental and creative without worry. I think that opens the door to some creative things to happen.”
On lessons from Equalizer 1 and 2, and what to expect from the last one:
“One of the biggest things I learned was the audience’s reaction to some of the smaller things. In the first one, I remember the ‘Jenny with the ring’ (robbery scene). And he goes and gets the ring back and it’s in a drawer. They loved it. I was like, wow, it’s the small things that people care about.
“I think in this one, it made me focus on the people, the details, so you really got to know the characters even more. People really fall in love with the characters that (Robert McCall) helps. And I found that to be interesting in the Equalizer franchise.
“(In the third one), they’ll see some of the things they expect from the Equalizer movies — the action and the character recall — but certainly you’ll see him in a darker place, see him evolve and find the light again. And audiences will be taken to a special place in Italy that I think they’ll find beautiful, charming and special.”
On how Equalizer became a franchise:
“You just make the best movie. I didn’t think about it as a franchise (from the start). Me, Denzel and the producers, we just talked about it as just this film. Didn’t even think about it being two or three, or successful. We obviously want to make it successful though. When it was successful, like I said, the reaction we got from people… normally, people would come up to me (about) Training Day, then people started coming up to me saying, ‘Man, I love Equalizer, that guy Robert McCall’ more and more.
“Then, I got a call from Sony about doing the second one, which is great. And then you get a call to do a third one, ‘Hey, we should do one more.’ And that’s how that happened.”
On the main messages of Equalizer 3:
“Helping others. It’s all about helping others, you know? Without reward. Just do it because it’s right. Not kill people (laughs). But helping people. This is a movie, right? But the message is you got to help. We have to help each other and in this one, the people help him as well. So, that’s the idea.
“It is important to find a community and find a home. It doesn’t matter what color your skin or where you’re from. If you could find a home where you feel safe, and people that love you and take care of you and you do the same for them. It’s the most important thing you could do in this world. I think it’s a good message to put out.”
On the relevance of the saga to his directing career:
“I don’t take it for granted to be able to do this franchise, three movies back-to-back, with five movies total with Denzel. I think it’s a big accomplishment for any director’s career, to have the audience want you to keep coming back and bringing them this character again in the franchise. I’m very proud of that in my career.
“It’s a big deal to have. If you can make two movies about the same character, that’s an accomplishment. That says a lot about your relationship with the audience. If you can make three, it’s really special for me to see that. It’s very important to my career.”
On guiding principle and formula for making action blockbusters:
“It’s always the audience, my Northstar is the audience. You can’t get away from that. That’s what you make it for. And you try to listen to them. We do test screenings, you listen to what they’re saying and feeling in the room. That’s the beauty of cinema, the collective reactions to things. That’s my Northstar — you know what satisfies the audience.
“(As for the formula) I have no idea. And you know, I really don’t. It’s, again, I try to keep my ear to the pulse of it — the audience. I go to the movies. I love movies. So I pay attention to that quite a bit. And I’d just try to make a movie that I would want to see. Whenever I watch a movie, when I watch my director’s cuts, I always have popcorn and coke. I don’t even drink soda. But I get popcorn and coke. I want to have the whole experience. I really try to put myself in the audience as much as possible.”
(In cinemas Sept. 13, The Equalizer 3 is distributed in the Philippines by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.)
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