Antoine Fuqua Brings The Equalizer to the Silver Screen

Way back in 2001 director Antoine Fuqua rocked the world with his urban masterpiece, Training Day, which earned Denzel Washington an Oscar. Fuqua’s latest project, The Equalizer, opens nationwide on September 26. In the film, Washington plays a quiet hero, armed with hidden skills that allow him to serve vengeance against anyone who would brutalize the helpless and emerges from the shadows to save Chloë Moretz (star of Kick-Ass) from the Russian Mob. The action is equal parts brawn and brain. We spoke to Fuqua about reuniting with Denzel, channeling John Coltrane on set, filming with anamorphic lenses, and the effects of being shot as a teen.

In Training Day, Denzel played the antagonist, and in The Equalizer he played the hero—did your approach to directing him change between the two movies?

In some ways, yes. It changed because there was a different kind of energy in how we communicated. Training Day was a little more chaotic because of the environment we filmed in. On that movie, the way we collaborated was more spontaneous because I was capturing things in chaotic areas, like the ghetto. It wasn’t just some closed set. Filming around gang members and other elements, you only have a certain amount of time before the normalcy runs out.

Was it more guerrilla-type filming?

Yes, in the sense of creative energy. Filming in the hood, we’d pick up on things and immediately incorporate them [into the scene]. Denzel would hear something, I’d hear something, and we’d just roll with it. In that way it was like Coltrane, or Miles Davis, where the rhythm spontaneously changes.

The Equalizer was a calm, slower burn, for both Denzel and the overall pacing. There was a lot more quiet tension, and we also shot the film on anamorphic lenses, which required a certain amount of discipline regarding tight focus on the scenes, which eliminated the whole shaky-cam look used in many action films.

In Training Day we had a thousand things happening around us, including off set gunshots, which we used.

How was working with Denzel again?

Amazing. He’s a powerhouse in every way, but again, it’s like playing music—on the first day you wonder if you’ll have that same energy, wonder if you can capture that magic with a completely different narrative, completely different characters—and we did, only in a much quieter way.

Denzel’s character struggles to live a normal life, do you think that’s possible for people who have endured extreme environments such as war, or urban conflict?

It’s a hard transition, and his character is having a difficult time, struggling with post-traumatic stress. Coming from any world of violence, really. That’s how I grew up. I had a mini-stroke when I was fifteen, and at sixteen I was shot. So I’ve been there, and when you move to a more comfortable environment, at first you can’t sleep without hearing sirens or helicopters. That’s Robert McCall. Because of his training, he finds comfort in the chaos.

In researching the film, I spoke with several returned vets, and during their initial training they are woken up early every morning with gunshots and bombs exploding—that’s their alarm clock. They become so used to it that their heart rates actually drop, whereas we, normal civilians, would panic and run for cover. They are trained to move toward the fighting.

What attracted you to the story?

First, the opportunity to work with Denzel again. Also, it was a great script, not so much about [McCall] acting as a vigilante, but more about doing the right thing, and that’s what drew me to the project, how his character is trying to help and serve others. There’s honor in that. It’s an important message. I grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a real blue-collar area where people worked, at least when they could get a job. So that theme of service is important to me.

The film doesn't wrap up Robert McCall's story, what do you see for his next chapter?

I’d like to see McCall on an international stage. He comes from a world of intrigue and espionage, and speaks multiple languages, so next time I’d like to see a much broader vision, maybe traveling to different countries, living in Brazil, or maybe Italy.

In casting the role of Teddy, who is at times nuanced and calculating, and other times, brutally violent, what attracted you to actor Marton Csokas?

Marton is an amazing actor, initially trained in the theater. He’s calm, but highly intelligent, and a really big guy, so he makes a great villain. Also, his face is so expressive. Marton has that quiet quality, but when he explodes it’s just violent.

In regards to antagonists, in your past films you’ve explored urban gangs and Nigerian rebels—in researching the Russian mafia, what did you learn?

That's why I wouldn’t want anything to do with them. What’s different from urban gangs or even the Italian mob, is that the Russians aren’t from this country, so they have no loyalty and no feeling of connection to their neighborhoods. They’re feeling is that this is our country and they don’t give a shit, they’re here to take a piece, and their absolutely brutal about it.

While researching the movie, I came across a documentary on the Black Dolphin Prison (a Russian federal penitentiary), which is where a lot of these guys served, and it’s just chilling.

Many of your films center on strong male characters, yet in this film Chloe Moretz takes center stage—did your approach in working with her differ?

In the beginning, yeah, because she’s young (16) and I didn’t know her that well. At first, you’re a little more gentle, a little more careful. Also, she’s playing a prostitute, so talking with her I found myself trying to choose the right words when communicating about her character, and what she does for a living. But after a while she was just one of the guys, cracking jokes, laughing as I tiptoed around the issues. Chloe is very mature, she got it. In fact, she did her own research, actually went and spent time with some of these [street] girls, so she brought that to the table, which helped a lot. She’s a pro, and she just nailed it.

The film is gritty and realistic, yet fun, how did you balance that tone?

Denzel really grounds whatever [project] he’s in, so for my part, I just tried to focus on the acting as opposed to the action sequences. For those scenes we wanted to keep it real, and by that I mean that if you found yourself in those situations, where you needed to fight your way out of something, it was realistic.

Before filming I brought Richard Went (The Equalizer screenwriter) to my house, and a friend of mine who does this for a living, came over with a bag of everyday utensils, and we laid them out: a corkscrew, shot glasses, a screwdriver. Then he walked us through the anatomy of the human body, pointing out the vulnerable spots, and showed us how to effectively put someone down using household items. It was fascinating.

So I figured if I could ground the action sequences in reality, then have Denzel perform the moves himself, we would also capture the drama in those fight scenes. That’s why I shot them as if they were dialog, and not just typical shaky camera where you don’t know what’s going on. I didn’t want viewers to miss the acting within the violence.

What influenced the visual style of the project?

I love film, but this was my first feature shot on digital. So Mauro Fiore(The Equalizer cinematographer) and I shot several tests. I was really worried about the movie looking too clean, too sharp. With film, there’s a texture—it’s gritty, almost has a soul, and I think some portions of the audience really identify with that. But shooting digital also has its advantages, such as at night, when you can capture more information. In the end, that’s why we shot with anamorphic lenses, to give it more of that cinematic look.