SPEECH PATTERN:
You've heard the phrase its not what you say but how you say it well in this situation it is absolutely true. The perfect Denzel impression is dependant on how you say what you say. Dont worry though, Ill walk you through it. The thing you have to remember about Denzel Washington is that in every one of his movies he essentially plays the same guy. He's either a detective or a coach or someone in a position of power who goes around interrogating people and telling them about the way things are supposed to go. So, in order to do the perfect Denzel Impression you have to be able to make your own mother question whether or not you are her child. This can be a difficult task but with a little work you can make it happen. This is the key to the impression and it's quite simple: Ask a simple question but pick and prod at the answers you receive. Whenever anyone ever asks you about something or tells you something try to use this formula.
- Use a calm, deliberate, slightly deep, very slightly gravely voice as youre talking
- Repeat the situation/dilemma back to the person add the phrase "Is that what youre telling me?"
- Say "huh?" then repeat the situation/dilemma again this time as a question
- State the situation/dilemma using great detail, putting emphasis on specific chain of things i.e. a list of things, or a sequence of actions then end the statement by repeating the dilemma.
- Explain what you are going to do action by action .
- When insulting somebody, make sure to use no less than 3 adjectives in a single insult to describe what you think of them. "you disloyal fool ass ungrateful ignorant ass mothaf*****"
Example:
Here is a list of phrases that Denzel Washington often uses
- "Ok, alright, uh huh"
- "Yeaaaaaaah"
- "Alright then"(in agreement)
- "Do you understand"
- "Are you sure? Are you SURE?"
- "Is that what you're telling me?"
- try to summarise the situation/dilemma into one single word or one very short conceptual point. Now use it often in the conversation. Use it as an interrogative statement, or an exclamation. i.e. a time "
Example: Tony goes to the Movie Theatre to see a rated R movie. Denzel Washington is selling tickets behind the glass. The only problem is that the only ID that Tony has is his college ID that has no birthdate on it!!!!!!!!!!!
Denzel: Hello sir, what can I get for you?
Tony: yeah, uh, let me get one for The Hills Have Eyes at
Denzel: you wanna see The Hills Have Eyes at
Tony: yeah man
Denzel: well Ill tell you what, lets see, oh, thats a rated R movie son, did you know that thats a Rated R movie?
Tony: uh...yeah
Denzel: Are you sure? look what it's rated R for, strong language, partial nudity, strong sexual content, gore, violence. now are you sure you wanna see this movie?
Tony: yeah
Denzel: You're SURE
Tony: YES
Denzel: 9:45
Tony: YESSSS!
Denzel: Alright then, Im gonna have to see some ID.
Tony: yeah, about that, I only have my school ID and it doesnt have my birthday on it
Denzel: so you dont have any legal ID, is that what youre telling me? Huh? You're telling me that you got up, you drove all the way over here, you got out of your car, waited in line, got all the way up here to ME and you mean to tel me that you don't have any legal ID? Well, let me see your wallet.
Tony: ok
Denzel: ok I see, you have a Library card, you have a social security card, a phone card, a credit card, a book store card and even a triple A card and you mean to tell me that you dont have any legal ID huh?
Tony: ...yeah
Denzel:
Tony: yeah
Denzel: well, Ill tell you what Im gonna do, Im gonna go in the back, then Im going to get on the phone with a guy I know from the dmv, hes gonna run your name through a computer and if anything turns up hes going to fax me your picture and Im going to compare it to this picture ID card that youve given me. Alright? Then if everything checks out, THEN I will sell you this ticket. But look here. If that search comes back negative and I did all that work for nothingits going to be very very bad for you, do you understand
Tony: Yes
Denzel: Are you sure
Tony:Yes-
Denzel: Are you SURE?
Tony: YES
Denzel:
Tony: right
(five minutes pass and Denzel Returns quite upset)
Denzel: aww, you motherf*****. Okay, Alright. See I trusted you, see I trusted you, you disloyal under aged, fool a$$, little punk. Thats how youre gonna treat me? Awwwww you motherf*****s, ok, alright, well guess what, Im putting cases on you and all of your little friends in line! Huh! You think you can do this to me?! Every one of you motherf*****s will be watching movies in
It's not enough to sound like Denzel, you have to act and move like him too. Here is a list of mannerisms that Denzel does almost
*THE LIPS- one thing about a Denzel Washington movie is that there is almost always a shot of him tucking his lips into his mouth. I dont know why but for the ultimate impression, you need to try to copy this at least once, preferably at the beginning of your impersonation
*THE 180 TURN- another thing about Denzel Washington is his entrance into a scene. Its a tough one but you can do it with a little practice. To get this down you must master the 180 degree head swivel, start with your back slightly to your audience or at least looking the opposite direction, after a short pause, turn your head around sharply and focus your attention to them, make sure you have an inquisitive look on your face with your eyebrows arched. Note: this is not necessary for every situation but remember that it helps
*THE 3 FINGER POINT- yet another mannerism that Denzel has is what I like to call the 3 finger point he uses this when pointing at things, and when explaining things to others. To accomplish this point your hand forward with your fingers closed together now simply curl your index finger and keep it curled. Now you can point at all kinds of stuff just like Denzel!!! Don't be afraid to fling that pointing hand all over the place, even burry it into a few people's chests if you have to!
*GUM- for some inexplicable reason, Denzel always has gum and is chewing it vigorously. Make sure you do too.
*THE SHIRT- It seems to be some sort of trademark for Denzel to always wear a black short sleeved t-shirt. The reason for this is unknown but definitely adds to the realism of your impression.
*HANDS- one hand gesture that Denzel often uses involves him holding his hands a certain way. To get this gesture hold your hands parallel to each other with your fingers together curving in towards each other, and your thumbs up and slightly curled. Keep them close together, no more than a foot apart. Pretend that you are holding something with your hands. Now throw your hands up and down whenever you need to make a specific point.
Having a hard time wrapping your mind around this whole thing? Here is a video example of what I'm talking about. Try and look for some of the things I've pointed out in the movie Man On Fire.
now that you have the rules, practice them, mix them up a little, become the master! Once you have done this, show it off to your friends, fun at parties, comedy clubs, wherever.
