With his legendary career spanning more than 40 years, the phrase "Denzel Washington is having a great year" is starting to become repetitive, but it’s true—Denzel Washington is, indeed, having a great year. Aside from starring alongside Jake Gyllenhaal in Othello, the broadway revival of Shakespeare's tragedy (a production that became the highest-grossing play revival in history, by the way), Washington also has a highly anticipated film coming out with longtime directorial partner Spike Lee.
Denzel Washington Is Moved to Tears by Surprise Honor
"This is a total surprise."
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Published May 20, 2025
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Entitled Highest 2 Lowest, the film is a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 classic movie High and Low, and sees Washington taking on the role of a legendary music mogul known for having "the best ears in the business." Things turn dangerous, however, when he becomes the target of a ransom plot and suddenly finds himself caught in a life-or-death moral dilemma. Highest 2 Lowest is the fifth collaboration between Washington and Lee, following their iconic movies Malcolm X, Mo' Better Blues, He Got Game and Inside Man.
The film premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on Monday, where Washington was given the ultimate surprise—an honorary Palme d’Or, a prestigious lifetime achievement award. Other notable recipients of the award include Meryl Streep, Tom Cruise, Jeanne Moreau and Agnès Varda. The award was presented by Cannes Film Festival chief Thierry Frémaux and handed to Washington by Lee, who told the crowd, “This is my brother, right here."
"This is a total surprise for me," said Washington, who was moved to tears. The actor then praised Lee and finished his speech by expressing his gratitude to the crowd, "I'm blessed beyond measure and from the bottom of my heart, I thank you all."
Highest 2 Lowest, will be released in theaters by A24 on Aug. 22. If you can’t catch it in theaters, it will be available to stream on Apple TV+ beginning Sept. 5.
