Denzel Washington calls A$AP Rocky ‘intelligent,’ ‘amazing young man’

Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

Denzel Washington made an appearance on Good Morning America Tuesday, where he discussed his latest film, Highest 2 Lowest. He stars in the movie alongside A$AP Rocky, but he admits he didn’t “spend that much time with him” on set.

“I wanted to stay away from him,” Denzel says. “That’s kinda how I work. We meet when we meet.”

“But I’ve spent the last couple of days with him,” he notes. “Amazing young man. Intelligent. I was like, ‘Oh, OK. Rihanna. I see. This kid is something.’”

Fellow co-star Jeffrey Wright also praised Rocky during a Monday appearance on GMA, noting they’d previously worked together in the movie Monster.

“Rocky just killed it. He was dynamic. He’s got his whole vibe,” he says of Rocky’s performance in the 2023 film. “He was fantastic, and he brings that same energy and dynamism to this [film].”

He adds that Rocky and Denzel make “a wonderful pairing” and “go toe to toe” in the upcoming movie.

Directed by Spike Lee and inspired by Akira Kurosawa‘s High and Low, Highest 2 Lowest follows the story of Rocky’s Yung Felon, an aspiring rapper who kidnaps the son of Denzel’s character, music mogul David King.

Rocky says he was “not at all” afraid of playing opposite Denzel: “It was actually fun. I was in awe. I was fanning out.”

“Being with these guys. They’re big hitters and very inspirational to me,” he added of working alongside Denzel and Jeffrey. “You know, it was crazy. It was a dream come true.”