Denzel Washington’s Cannes Exchange with Photographer Explained by Lip Reader

Denzel Washington caused a commotion on Monday when he lashed out at what appeared to be an overzealous photographer as he attended the Cannes premiere of his movie Highest 2 Lowest.

The Oscar-winning actor, 70, was seen pointing his finger in the face of one of the snappers during the dramatic exchange.

And now DailyMail.com can reveal just what Denzel and the photographer appear to have said to each other during the overheated exchange, which occurred before the actor was presented with a surprise honorary Palme d’Or by the festival.

According to Jeremy Freeman, the Malcolm X star appears to have been set off by a photographer was was seen tapping him on the arm in video.  

As Denzel turns to the photographer he appears to shout, ‘Hey, one — one more time, stop.

‘Let me tell you — stop, stop — never put your hands on me again,’ he appears to shout as he wags his finger at the photographer,’ who has a bizarre grin plastered on his face throughout the exchange. ‘I’m talking to you, stop, all right.’

According to Freeman, the photographer replies to Denzel with ‘Not allowed,’ before laughing and adding, ‘Yes, yes, yes.’  

Despite the actor’s emphatic words and body language, the photographer can be seen grabbing at Denzel again in the clip, and he has the gall to ask, ‘Can I take a picture?’

Washington, who appears completely fed up at that point, shouts back: ‘Stop, stop it, stop it. I mean it. Stop, stop it.’

Despite the intensity of his words, many of the photographers surrounding Washington — including the one he was yelling at — were smiling, suggesting that they may not have realized he could be upset.

However, the actor has a long history of tense interactions with photographers over the years. 

DailyMail.com has contacted representatives for Washington for additional comment. 

Before calling out the photographer, Denzel had been standing on the red carpet with his Highest 2 Lowest costar, the rapper-turned-actor A$AP Rocky, 36.

Despite his spat, Washington was in great spirits when he was surprised with an honorary Palme d’Or award by director Spike Lee.

Cannes changed some of its scheduling to accommodate Washington’s trip, which came amid his lone off-day while performing Othello in New York. 

Handing the award over to Washington, Spike said: ‘This is my brother, right here.’

‘This is a total surprise for me!’ the actor replied. 

The actor, who posed for photos with Spike and A$AP Rocky, showed no signs of jet lag and was expected to fly back to New York immediately after the screening.

When the festival first announced its lineup last month, Highest 2 Lowest wasn’t included. 

But within hours, however, Spike himself announced the film was heading to Cannes and representatives for the festival said they had been waiting for confirmation that Denzel would attend the red carpet. 

Highest 2 Lowest, is a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 film High and Low, and will be released in theaters by A24 August 22 before streaming on Apple TV+ September 5.

The tirade comes seven months after Washington was filmed exploding at autograph hunters  in New York City in October 2024.

The Oscar-winning actor snapped at fans as he arrived at the Museum of Modern Art for a film benefit honoring Samuel L. Jackson – with the tense exchange captured in a dramatic video.

The Man on Fire star was seen arriving at the museum and posing with a fan – while autograph hunters called his name to the side.

A visibly annoyed Washington went to walk inside but then turned and addressed a fan in the crowd. 

While the entire exchange cannot be deciphered, the actor was seen pointing his finger and heard saying: ‘I heard you. You talk about showing love…’

‘…Respecting me’ to which the fan said ‘we already do.’ 

Washington retorted: ‘I said I’ll see you when I get out, which part of that don’t y’all understand?

‘It’s about showing love’ – before raising his voice and declaring ‘or not, or not! we can do it another way… or not, we can do it both ways!’

He then walked inside the building after the shock incident. 

And in 2021 Washington was pictured having an intense moment with a fan.

The movie star was by his car when the fan walked over to him with a sack of photos for him to sign in New York City.

The pair engaged in an intense conversation with the actor looking like he was given the fan some pearls of wisdom.

He placed his hands on his shoulder and looked deep in his eyes, looking like he was forgetting to keep socially distanced for a second.

While Denzel had his mask on, the fan had his pulled down to his chin for the moment as the Hollywood star placed his hands around his face.

An onlooker claimed he told the fan to ‘say a prayer’ but it is not known what they were talking about.