Who needs another Oscar nomination when you can get an honorary Palme d’Or? Screen legend Denzel Washington received the surprise career achievement badge from Cannes Film Festival director Thierry Frémaux for his amazing contributions to cinema, currently represented on the Croisette in his starring role in Spike Lee’s “Highest 2 Lowest,” a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s classic “High and Low,” which is screening out of competition at the fest.
Honorary awards are not unheard of, as Robert De Niro received an expected one at the top of this year’s festival, and Frémaux similarly bestowed one upon Tom Cruise in 2022, the last time this distinction was given under wraps.
Video was captured of the event (which you can watch below), where a quite-moved Washington accepts the honor from Frémaux and Lee, his longtime collaborator, who has worked with him in “Mo’ Better Blues,” “He Got Game,” “Inside Man,” and “Malcolm X,” the last of which earned Washington one of his 10 Academy Award nominations for acting, which includes two wins, for 1989’s “Glory” and 2001’s “Training Day.”
Washington is on a brief hiatus from his blockbuster Broadway run in a revival of Shakespeare’s “Othello” opposite Jake Gyllenhaal, which alas, did not get any Tony Awards traction but continues to rake in millions per week in box office grosses.
Other winners of the honorary Palme d’Or since it was first presented in 2002 include Jodie Foster, Harrison Ford, Clint Eastwood, and just last year, Meryl Streep and George Lucas. Also notable last year was the first time a company won versus an actor, when beloved animation giant and Hayao Miyazaki house Studio Ghibli nabbed the honor.
