Summary

• Denzel Washington's performance in Training Day as Alonzo Harris remains one of his most powerful, earning him an Oscar.
• Despite his success as a hero, Washington has only played one villain role since Training Day in American Gangster.
• Washington's natural gravitas makes him a compelling villain, showing potential for more antagonistic roles in the future.

Denzel Washington won an Oscar 23 years ago with Training Day, but he has not fully delivered on the promise of his performance as Alonzo Harris. Washington headlined the 2001 crime thriller opposite Ethan Hawke, marking the first of what would become many successful collaborations with director Antoine Fuqua. Training Day pitted Washington and Hawke against each other due to the differences in morals and responsibilities as cops. Denzel turned in a powerhouse performance as Alonzo, with the Academy Awards rewarding him with his second Oscar win overall but first for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

Training Day arrived at a pivotal point in Denzel Washington's career, so the combination of the film's box office success and the awards recognition was perfect. The actor has had an incredibly successful career in the 23 years that have followed, racking up four more Oscar nominations, accumulating larger box office hauls, and earning more praise for his work. There is no denying that Denzel Washington is one of Hollywood's greatest working actors and that his performance in Training Day stands the test of time. But, he has not lived up to the promise of the role in one way.

Denzel Washington Has Only Played One Villain Since Training Day

His Last Villain Role Came 17 Years Ago

One of the reasons why Training Day stands out among Denzel Washington's movies and performances is because it was the rare time that he played a villain. Alonzo's character shifts into the antagonist of the movie as the story unfolds and Hawke's Jake Hoyt exposes him for the corrupt cop that he is. Considering Denzel has mostly built his career around playing the hero or complicated good guy, winning an Oscar for Training Day's villain role could have propelled him to play the bad guy more often. However, Denzel Washington has only played a villain once after Training Day.

Denzel Washington's last villain role came in American Gangster. The 2007 Ridley Scott movie paired him up with Russell Crowe, with Denzel occupying the main villain role as gangster Frank Lucas. American Gangster was another success for the actor, as it received overwhelmingly positive reviews and became Denzel Washington's highest grossing movie. However, he did not receive another Oscar nomination or win for the role. And despite starring in 15 movies since then, there have been no other Denzel Washington villain roles since American Gangster.

American Gangster was nominated for Oscars in Art Direction and Supporting Actress

Training Day & American Gangster Prove Denzel Needs To Play More Villains

He Can Be An Incredible Villain

Although Denzel Washington's experience playing villains is rather limited, Training Day and American Gangster prove that he should consider doing more of them. The natural gravitas he brings to all his roles perfectly suits more antagonistic characters. He can be scary and intimidating and go toe-to-toe with any hero opposite him. This is why his roles in Training Day and American Gangster work as well as they do. Denzel Washington might be more comfortable playing the hero, but hopefully he delivers a few more villain performances before his career is done.