A Taste:

Marvin Gaye, Rachmanov

Denzel Washington commands any scene he’s in.

He’s got an unbridled intensity and true fire that’ll never be extinguished—even when he’s stepping back and playing a “normal dude.” Just watch him in The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 for proof of his power. However when he’s kicking back, he’s most likely to be cranking Marvin Gaye.

“Why not,” laughs the Academy Award Winner with a smile.

For him, music is an integral source of inspiration, even if what he personally likes didn’t necessarily inform the Pelham performance. He continues, “Music does inform my performances, but the music I was playing was not in this movie. Obviously, that’s the director’s decision. Tony [Scott, director] did give me some music on Man On Fire. We talked about Nine Inch Nails for that one. He didn’t do that on this film though [Laughs]. Sometimes a song will follow me or I’ll follow it through a whole movie, but that wasn’t the case here.”

Nevertheless, Denzel shared his playlist with us in this exclusive feature. Check it out below and catch The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 in theaters on June 12, 2009.

Denzel Washington’s Playlist:

1. Marvin Gaye

2. Rachmanov

—Rick Florino
06.10.09