Besides being Denzel Washington's son. He doesn't have any star quality at all.
shareHis daddy is famous.
shareChris Nolan saw him in Black Klansman and was sold on using him as the protagonist.
shareHollywood nepotism... One of the few high profile black actors who doesn't have a gangster rap aesthetic...
I think Nolan recognised the massive backlash he got from the media and Hollywood over Dunkirk not casting black actors or women in leading roles, so he decided to make up for it... Pretty slim pickings if you're thinking of actors in his age range for the lead, which at least some name recognition,...
Michael B. Jordan would have been better... Especially given the physicality of the role and charisma...
Michael B. Jordan is another actor with zero charisma. He also looks like a little boy, he wouldn't suit this role at all.
shareHe was able to bulk up for Black Panther... Even more than he did for Creed.
For this type of character, you don't necessarily need charisma. It would be an added bonus, but Nolan, like Kubrik, doesn't always need to have his characters be more than archetypes... Especially for a movie like this.
I wonder who else they had considered for the role. Washington wasn't the best choice.
They needed someone like a younger Matt Damon or maybe even Daniel Craig.
The role required someone savvy and capable of manipulating their understanding of quantum mechanics.
NOTHING in David Washington's performance indicated he understood a darn thing about inverse synchronicity or the quantum minutiae to manipulate to his advantage. It was way above his intellectual pay grade.
Good question. He stinks as an actor. Zero charisma. He was pretty convincing in the fighting scenes though so maybe he's more suited to be a stunt man or action roles where he doesn't have to say much.
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