Denzel Washington – Safe House is like ‘Silence of the Lambs’

Posted on 17 February 2012
By Matt Barden
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Denzel Washington revealed that the mind games his character plays on rookie agent, Ryan Reynolds, during their new film, Safe House, reminded him of cinema’s ultimate mind-tease:

‘I liken it to ‘Silence of the Lambs’ where this guy, this young kid, he’s trying to get in my head, and I’m all getting in his head – to the point where he doesn’t know what he’s thinking about.

‘The chance to manipulate this kid is winning, the chance to shove it up the CIA’s behind is winning for him. And he has no remorse about it.’

Washington stars as Tobin Frost, the CIA’s most wanted traitor. When Frost resurfaces in South Africa, a rookie officer, Reynolds, is charged with the arduous task of looking after the fugitive in a safe house.

But when the safe house is attacked, Reynolds must help Denzel escape and stay alive long enough to uncover who wants him dead.
Frost is a master manipulator, a murderer and sociopath, a role Denzel revelled in:

‘I guess it’s cliché to say that the bad guy has more fun because you can say anything, you can get away with anything. Sometimes when you’re the good guy, you’re sort of trapped or he can’t say that.’

He added that ‘bad guys do have more fun!’

Safe House is released 24th February in UK cinemas

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