Almost 20 years ago, Dakota Fanning made one of her best films with Denzel Washington. Now the two are celebrating a reunion in a new thriller
Dakota Fanning was not yet ten years old when she had her breakthrough as an actress. With her expressive acting, the American, born in 1994, burned herself into the memory of movie audiences in films like I Am Sam, War of the Worlds and Uptown Girls. In one of her best films at the time, the child star played alongside acting legend Denzel Washington.
Man Under Fire by Tony Scott was a gritty kidnapping thriller in which a touching friendship develops. Both delivered some of the best performances of their careers in the film. Almost 20 years later, Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning were back in front of the camera together and in a few days we can see the result in theaters.
Dakota Fanning and Denzel Washington remained friends after Man Under Fire
2004 saw the release of Man Under Fire. In the action thriller, Denzel Washington plays former CIA agent John Creasy, who is now an alcoholic. To earn some extra money, he takes a job as a bodyguard for a wealthy family in Mexico City. His friendship with little Lupita (Dakota Fanning) stirs up the spirits in the self-destructive man. When she is kidnapped, he will stop at nothing to save her.
After the filming of Man Under Fire ended, the friendship of the newcomer and the veteran did not break. In a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight Dakota Fanning spoke about it:
“Of course, I’ve known Denzel for a big part of my life, you know, and one of his daughters is one of my closest friends, so I’m always in the loop. […] He’s always been so nice and kind to me, and I feel such a connection to him because he’s known me for so long. “
20 years later, the two celebrated a reunion in front of the camera. In fact, the third installment of Denzel Washington’s Equalizer series also stars Dakota Fanning. If you want to feel really old now, check out the photos from Man Under Fire and The Equalizer 3 – The Final Chapter back-to-back:
Dakota Fanning and Denzel Washington in The Equalizer 3
In The Equalizer 3, Washington once again plays the former Marine and agent who stands up for good on his own dime. Part 1 was released in 2014, The Equalizer 2 followed four years later, and filming of Part 3 began in 2022 on the Amalfi Coast in Italy.
This time Washington’s avenger wants to go underground in the sun, but is drawn into a conflict with the Sicilian mafia. Dakota Fanning plays CIA analyst Emma, who provides assistance to Washington’s character.
In a way, this lands the two stars where Man Under Fire was supposed to take them. The Tony Scott film was originally supposed to be set in Italy before Mexico was chosen.
