Spike Lee reveals how Denzel Washington’s performance changed a key element in ‘Highest 2 Lowest’

Spike Lee and Denzel Washington have made four films together over the course of 30 years (Mo’ Better Blues, Malcolm X, He Got Game, and Inside Man), cementing their legacy in the cinematic hall of fame. Their new film, Highest 2 Lowest, marks their fifth collaboration, making it clear they have a special artistic connection that transcends the screen.

In an interview with Mashable’s executive producer Mark Stetson, Spike Lee shares a story from filming Highest 2 Lowest when he was so inspired by Denzel Washington’s performance in a scene that he immediately changed the ending song. While Washington’s character David King, a record executive, is listening to a new songwriter perform, you see him begin to reconnect with the joy of music he had long forgotten:

“You see in that last scene with Denzel Washington? Like, he’s come alive, he’s reconnected with the muse… That was recorded live. And in the editing room, I was looking at Denzel’s face, and so I said, ‘G**damn it, I got it!” The reaction you’re seeing in Denzel’s face? He’s thinking about what the orchestration is going to be. So the song starts out with just piano and Aiyana[-Lee Anderson] singing. And then [in the final cut] as we see the emotion on Denzel’s face, then comes the instrumentation. And that came from Denzel Washington, because he was reacting to her singing… So I called Howard [Drossin], the composer. I said, ‘We’ve got to write orchestration for this.’ So that came in post because when we were shooting, I just had a piano. That came from the genius of Denzel Washington.”

Highest 2 Lowest is now streaming on Apple TV+.

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