A$AP Rocky Got Schooled By Jeffrey Wright While Filming With Denzel Washington
A$AP Rocky leaned on Jeffrey Wright for acting guidance while filming Highest 2 Lowest, the Spike Lee-directed thriller that also stars Denzel Washington, revealing the veteran actor gave him on-the-spot coaching between takes.
The rapper told Variety that Wright became an informal mentor during production, often offering real-time feedback from inside their trailer.
“During Highest 2 Lowest, he was coaching me. I would do something, and he’d be like, ‘Nah, man, you got to do it like this,’ and ‘Say your line like that,’” A$AP Rocky said. “We would just kick it in the trailer. He would tell me what books to read and show me the old-school s**t he used to be in. He’s just an OG like that.”
The film, a modern English-language take on Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this week and marks Rocky’s fourth acting credit.
While he’s no stranger to the camera, A$AP Rocky admitted Wright encouraged him to take his craft further — specifically to the stage.
“If I’m being totally honest, to be a better actor overall, theatre is the only way to do that. One of the best, wisest men told me that — Mr. Jeffrey Wright,” he said. “I don’t think I’m ready. I gotta be in one place, and that’s a lot to commit to.”
Rocky also opened up about working alongside Washington, saying he had to keep his cool around the Oscar-winning icon.
“Trust me, it was difficult to not fan the f### out every millisecond of the f###### duration. It was crazy — it’s f###### Denzel, man,” he said. “I’m never going to be too big to be able to say that I had to hold my composure from not fanning out.”