Closer USA – August 05, 2019

(Barré) #1

7


1998 FREE


THINKING


Playing
a freed slave in
Beloved was
intense for him.
“I think it is
unfathomable to
understand how
difficult that
journey was for
peoplefrom
sl avery— [tobe]
pushedout into
theworld,to feel
that theirwifeor
husbandis not
goingto be sold,
that theyare
goingto be paid
fo r theirlabor.”

6


1994 LABOROF GLOVE


Portrayinga gruffmajor-league
baseball managerwhoseteam’s
fo rtuneschangeas a resultof celestial
interventionin the surprisehitAngels in
theOutfieldwas a joyforhim.“It’sabout
ca ringandlovingandresolvingpain—
eventhoughit is a comedy,”he said.
“I justfeltit wassucha goodstory.”

5


1989 NOT LONESOME It was
a relatively small TV role in an
ensemble cast, but Southern
fans don’t let Danny forget his Western
miniseries Lonesome Dove (with Ricky
Schroder). “I tell you, when I come within
three states of Texas, someone says
something about [it],” he’s shared. “It’s
like a national anthem.”

3


1985 OFF-COLOR “We’re all
products of our environment,’’
reflected Danny of his role as an
abusive husband in The Color Purple (with
Whoopi Goldberg). While he was sensitive

novel, depicted men as villains, “I prefer to
remember the reaction of older black
women, who say, ‘That’s the way it was.’ ”

8


2001 SHY AWAY How is he
similar to Henry, the accountant
who proposes to a divorced
matriarch (Anjelica Huston) in The Royal
Tenenbaums? “He’s shy, to some degree.
And I remember
describing myself as
a kid growing up as
a closet introvert.”


10


2019 TODIEFORDanny’snew
zo mbiefilmThe DeadDon’tDie
(withBill Murray)combines
co medyandhorror,a mix he hadno
troublehandling.“There’snota large
variancebetweencomedyandthriller
an d action,so I don’tfindmyselfworking
to o differentlyin thosegenres.”

4


1987 COP TO IT Danny
played a detective partnered
with a loose cannon (Mel
Gibson) in Lethal Weapon, which
launched three sequels. Why was it a
hit? “It’s the humor, mixed with action
and special effects. All that came
together, and the chemistry between
the two of us was undeniable.”

9


2006 DREAM JOB “I did love doing
[my] role in Dreamgirls,” Danny said
of his part in the big-screen take on
the Motown-inspired Broadway musical (with
Eddie Murphy and Jamie Foxx). “There is so
much lore around these men who were music
managers [that] sent all the African-American
artists around. They knew talent and could
say, ‘This is the one.’ ”

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