Denzel Washington said Saturday the country ought to pay more attention to its arts community and that mainstream Hollywood should adopt less-violent standards.
Washington, the actor who brought Malcolm X alive in the cinematic biography of the black leader, was in town overnight to accept the Sundance Film Festival's Piper-Heidsieck Tribute to Independent Vision.The award, in its second year, was given to actor John Turturro in 1992.
"Movies about ice-pick murderers don't turn me on," said Washington, who argued during a news conference that the film industry serves up too much blood-and-guts. "It's no coincidence we live in such a violent country."
And noting the spate of best-acting Oscars given to British actors appearing in American films in recent years, Washington said the trend is hardly surprising "for a country that nurtures and develops its culture and arts."
Without more support in the United States for acting and the film arts, "We'll just be importing actors," he said.
Washington said programs like those by the Sundance Institute, which encourages the creation of independent films outside the studio system, serve as an important antidote to the mass production of uninspired Hollywood films.
The actor, sporting blue jeans and a black pullover shirt, said he was in Park City not just to accept the award but because he "wanted to come up here and see what it's like and talk to Robert (Redford) about some ideas of mine."
Redford, a Utah resident, is founder of the festival and president of the Sundance Institute, which is near Provo.
Washington said his career has taken the successful turns it has because of the choices he has made: "Every actor is in control of his career because you have the choice to say no."
In addition to his role in "Malcolm X," Washington is known for his memorable and diverse performances in "A Soldier's Story," "Mo' Better Blues," and "Mississippi Masala," which premiered at last year's Sundance Festival.
He received a 1988 Oscar nomination for best supporting actor for his rendition of Stephen Biko in "Cry Freedom" and won the best-supporting-actor Oscar in 1990 for his role as a runaway slave in "Glory." Washington is a strong contender for the best-actor Oscar this year for "Malcolm X."
To attend the festival this weekend, Washington took a break from production of "Philadelphia," a story of a corporate lawyer who is stricken by the AIDS virus and subsequently loses his job. Washington said he plays a "slippery personal-injury lawyer" that is a homophobic, Republican member of the National Rifle Association. The character's narrow-mindedness changes during the course of the film.
Washington, a family man and the father of four children, said also that America seems in a "cultural depression" that he hopes might be lifted in part by the advent of a Democratic administration in Washington after 12 years of GOP rule.
"I plan to go down there and have a talk with our friend," smiled Washington in response to a question about whether he attended ceremonies last week for the inauguration of President Clinton. "I want to see who's down there next January, and why they're there."
Washington said he chooses films not because of their commercial success but because of their personal appeal. And he said he all but ignores film critics, passing over reviews of his work when he thumbs through a newspaper: "I read the comics," he said.
Washington called Spike Lee - the director of "Mo' Better Blues" and "Malcolm X" - "my partner," and said, "We'll always make films together."
He said he has no aspirations to become a director unless he discovers a project that he feels passionate and personal enough about. Washington is currently involved as a producer on six separate films.
He said his classroom pronouncement when he was 20 years old that he intended to be "the best actor in the world" attracted ridicule but proved inspiring.
"Fortunately it was unattainable, which allows me to continue to grow."