Denzel Washington Explores NYC Transit System in 'Pelham' Remake

You can always count on Denzel Washington to bring that emotional intensity.

For the remake of 'The Taking of Pelham 123,' the Mount Vernon, N.Y., native delivers again in this Tony Scott-directed project, which also stars John Travolta.

Armed men hijack a New York City subway train, holding the passengers hostage and turning an ordinary day's work for dispatcher Walter Garber (Washington) into a face-off with the mastermind behind the crime (Travolta).

Also featured in the film are James Gandolfini, John Turturro, Luis Guzman and Aunjanue Ellis.

Top 30 Sexiest Actors

Top 30 Sexiest Black Actors of All Time:
When BlackVoices decided to compile a list of "The Sexiest Black Actors of All Time," a myriad of challenges presented themselves. One, in particular, was choosing between the endless supply of beauty and brawn that has caught our eyes over the past half century. Out of a list of nearly 100 of the finest male figures to grace the big and small screen, we had a trouble whittling it down to 30; we ultimately decided that the main criteria will be restricted to actors who have starred in movies. While we would be remiss to not to acknowledge that the term "sexiest" is subjective, we did want to get the ball rolling on engaging chatter as we produced this groundbreaking countdown of 30 film actors past and present who made people swoon with their big screen style, swagger and prowess. Though you may be surprised at some of the choices, you will see a fair and balanced representation of handsome and talented black men, including (l-r) soap opera hunk Shemar Moore, double Oscar Award winner Denzel Washington, and tantalizing actor Taye Diggs. Disagree? Give us your own top 30 sexiest actors. Or just chime in about who we forgot, or should've forgotten. Please post your thoughts, comments and/or opinions in our community message board. Let the sexiness begin!

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30. Nick Cannon
Age: 28
Hometown: San Diego, California
His Story: Having started out with a sitcom on Nickelodeon, Cannon broke through with his performance in 'Drumline' and since has gone on to star in movies such as 'Love Don't Cost A Thing' and 'Bobby.'
Why Him? Any guy who can get sexy pop diva Mariah Carey to marry him within a matter of months has to have it going on. Before that, the small-framed, boyish charmer was privately known as a lady-slayer in Hollywood circles, having previous romantic links to Hollywood hottie Christina Milan and Victoria's Secret model Selita Ebanks. Who said big things don't come in small packages?

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29. Don Cheadle
Age: 44
Hometown: Kansas City, Missouri
His Story: Cheadle made his bones as an actor when he appeared alongside Denzel Washington as his buddy Mouse in 'Devil in a Blue Dress.' Since then, he has become one of Hollywood's most respected actors with roles in the 'Ocean's 11' films, 'Rush Hour' and his Academy nominated turn as Rwandan hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina in the film 'Hotel Rwanda'. Watch for his stock to rise even higher now that he's replaced Terrence Howard in the sequel to 'Iron Man.'
Why Him? There's no role he can't play, and Cheadle's dark skin tone makes him stand out in a sea of Café Au Lait. His range of smart and quiet characters creates a sort of alluring aura that is very attractive.

Kevin Mazur, WireImage.com

28. Jesse L. Martin
Age: 35
Hometown: Rocky Mount, Virginia
His Story: A well respected theater, film and television actor, Martin is best known for originating the role of Tom Collins in the Broadway musical, 'Rent,' and as Detective Ed Green in the long running NBC series 'Law & Order', which he did for nine seasons until 2008. Martin, who also starred in the movie version of 'Rent,' is slated to play Marvin Gaye in the upcoming biopic 'Sexual Healing'.
Why Him? He's tall, handsome and can sing his heart out. He proved it playing a guy who fell in love with a HIV positive drag-queen in 'Rent' warming the hearts and souls of millions.

NBC

27. Richard T. Jones
Age: 36
Hometown: Kobe, Japan
His Story: Here's a guy who can go back and forth between the TV and film world with much ease. Whether it's supporting work on various TV shows, including his latest series, 'Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles' or doing films such as his incredible performance as the cheating husband in Tyler Perry's 'Why Did I Get Married,' Jones gives his best at all times.
Why Him? Jones secured the key to many hearts when he played Joan Clayton's last boyfriend on the hit sitcom, 'Girlfriends.' The tall, dark and debonair actor also brought heat to the courtroom as Court Services Officer Bruce Van Exel on the CBS drama series, 'Judging Amy.'

CBS

26. Philip Michael Thomas
Age: 59
Hometown: Columbus, Ohio
His Story: Most famous role for his role as detective Ricardo Tubbs on the hit 1980s TV series 'Miami Vice,' Thomas first showed off his sex appeal as the love interest opposite Irene Cara in the 1976 film 'Sparkle'.
Why Him? Back in the days of 'Miami Vice,' Thomas brought a new level of cool to being a detective. He and Don Johnson rocked the white pants and blue blazer look to the top of the fashion world -- and in the process brought on their own meeting to "Miami heat."

NBC Television/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

25. Common
Age: 36
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
His Story: Following in the footsteps of fellow rappers Will Smith, LL Cool J, and Queen Latifah, Common (nee Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr.) has been on the low and steady road to success in 2007, after a near 15 year career in hip-hop, he made his film debut in 'Smokin' Aces' along with Alicia Keys and Taraji P. Henson. Showing much potential, he was later cast opposite Oscar winners Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie in the hit film 'Wanted' and will be seen in the potential blockbuster 'Terminator: Salvation' with Christian Bale.
Why Him? For always doing his own thing. With his piercing eyes, light complexion and bald head, Common never fit the mold of an average rapper. With his serious stance and understated presence, Common is much more of a man than his moniker implies.

Mark Davis, Getty Images

24. Mekhi Phifer
Age: 33
Hometown: Harlem, New York
His Story: Discovered by Spike Lee, who cast him as the lead in 'Clockers,' Phifer went to on to act and star in many films such as 'Soul Food', 'This Christmas,' 'Paid in Full,' and '8 Mile'. He also did an amazing job as Dr. Greg Pratt for over five seasons on NBC's 'ER.'
Why Him? He has true thug appeal. Filmgoers watched Phifer play the street-tinged love interests of Jessica Alba (in 'Honey'), Brandy (in 'I Still Know What You Did Last Summer') and Beyonce Knowles (in 'Carmen: A Hip Hopera'), and he always brought the heat to each and every role. So much so, that his female fans couldn't help but get hot.

Trevor O'Shana, Corbis Outline

23. Hill Harper
Age: 42
Hometown: Iowa City, Iowa
His Story: Before landing a coveted spot on TV's 'CSI: NY,' Harper appeared in many films such as 'Get On The Bus,' and 'He Got Game.' He even got to play the leading man in Jordan Walker Pearlman's 'Constellation,' opposite his good friend Gabrielle Union.
Why Him? This well educated actor, with degrees from Brown and Harvard universities, has written two best-selling books. With smoldering good looks, Barack Obama's former schoolmate is always easy on the eyes.

Keith Major, The Britto Agency

22. Ron O' Neal
Age: 67 (at time of death)
Hometown: Utica, New York
His Story: O'Neal was another actor who stood out from the Blaxploitation era, who fans will know from his leading role in 'Superfly'. He made a comeback (of sorts) during the 1990s in the cameo role as Whitley Gilbert's father on the hit NBC series, 'A Different World.'
Why Him? Light-skinned brothers with straight long hair were in full effect when this upstate New York native made his mark on Black Hollywood.

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In a press conference held in Los Angeles, Washington and Scott spoke about remaking a classic film, reuniting for the fourth time, and working with John Travolta.

Denzel, you're obviously not adverse to doing remakes. What made you want to do 'Pelham'?

Denzel Washington: This film is basically the story of a hostage situation on a train in New York City. What this film has in common with the original is the fact that it's New York City. I don't know that my character and the character that Walter Matthau played are that similar. I don't know why anybody would remake a film that is literally the translation or definition of the word. Why would you redo it in the same way?

Tony Scott: I think the motivation of the characters is very different. The similarity is that, for example, it's a hostage situation in the subway. But, if you think about the Robert Shaw character and you think about Denzel's character, the whole motivation is very different. For instance, Walter Matthau is playing a cop.

DW: I didn't want to be a cop.

TS: And also, in terms of John Travolta's character, it's based off of a real guy who actually came out of Brooklyn, gravitated to Wall Street and worked for the city. He went and did time in jail and got out of jail before the movie, and he was motivated by revenge. He wanted to take revenge on the city of New York. In the original movie, it was about the million dollars. It was about holding hostages in a subway for a million bucks. It was a stupid place to hold hostages because it's a cul-de-sac. John's character has a plan and a plot, and Luis Guzman's character hatched the plot with him when he was in jail. It's based off of real events and real characters.

DW: And the back story for Garber was based on a guy at the MTA who took the money.

TS: Yes, and a family member. It was a mixture of the two.

You mentioned that you didn't want to play a cop or an FBI agent. Instead, you wanted to play an ordinary guy. How does Denzel do ordinary? Where did you go to prepare?

DW: The deli. I just ate a lot and kept getting smaller and smaller sweaters to wear. I spilled coffee on myself. I was concerned a little bit about 'Inside Man,' where I was a cop and a hostage negotiator. I just liked the idea of him never having held a gun before. He was an ordinary guy in an extraordinary situation. He had a cloud over his head. He didn't come to work knowing he was going to get an opportunity to redeem himself. He didn't even know if he was going to redeem himself. It was something he felt like he needed to do. As he got into it, deeper and deeper, he just went for it, and he brought home the milk.

Were the glasses your idea?

DW: I don't remember. I remember we tried a bunch of different ones.

TS: How we built the character was an organic process. We had an MTA worker as a role model, but then (writer) Brian Helgeland brought this other back story from another character. The glasses became part and parcel. You feel how the character feels, whether it's the wardrobe and glasses or lines in conjunction with manners.

Did you talk to MTA employees about how the control center works?

DW: One of the reasons I like working with Tony Scott is because, like myself, he's a research fanatic. I know going in that he's going to have a lot of stuff for me to look at and go to. One of the first things I did, months before we started shooting, was go to the MTA command center. It was huge. It was 10 times bigger than our set.

TS: It's the size of a football field, and it's like NASA. That's the last thing you would expect, especially if you look at the old movie. The old movie is this grubby office with this subway thing on the wall. The real world is where I get to educate and entertain myself. I go and touch the real world and real people. That's my way into movies. I love that and brought that to Brian and Denzel.

DW: We share a lot of those elements. I like being with the real folks. Once I got there and we made introductions, I kept going back. You sit and talk with people. Our technical adviser was a guy who started at the bottom and worked his way up. I talked to him and asked how you get to be in the position my character is in. He said, "You start at track maintenance. You might become a flagman. You work your way up to local dispatch. You might be a conductor. You work your way all the way up the ladder." I don't think that the character I played went to college. I think he got a job at 17 or 18 in track maintenance, and he worked his way up.

Was John Travolta's really on the other end of the phone when you were shooting your scenes?

DW: No. We were always there for each other. We were always off camera. You actually do develop a relationship. For the first six to eight weeks, we didn't shoot any scenes together, but we were developing a relationship through the microphone and speakers.

Denzel, what was it like working with John?

DW: I actually didn't know him very well. My wife knew him, but I didn't know him that well. I know him pretty well now. We didn't see each other, so it's like an old courtship over the phone. It's a long-distance relationship. You get to know a person. We would sing songs, tell jokes and do Broadway tunes. That was the nature of the relationship.

Denzel, had you ever been in a New York City subway prior to making this movie?

DW: I grew up in New York, so I was born in the subway. I rode it almost every day for many years. If you can do it on a subway, then I've seen it -- from robbery to parenting.

Was there anything new you discovered about the city or subway system during this film?

DW: When you are young, you sneak on the trains, have fun, go down the steps and take a few steps down that dark tunnel. You don't go too far because you don't know what's down there, and you know you have to get back before the train pulls in there. Our day started at the steps. We would go a quarter of a mile or half a mile down. It's just a whole other world under there. It was trippy being on the other end. I remember coming home at 2 a.m. and the train would slow down and you would see the guys working look up. You were like, "Man, what are they doing out here?" We were those guys out there at 4 or 5 a.m. I remember a woman was looking, and I was standing there and said, "I'm down here working on the trains."

Have you been in touch with John Travolta since the death of his son?

DW: I talked to John two and a half weeks ago. Needless to say, he's struggling. More than talking to him, I listened to him for about two or three hours. It's going to take time. What can you say, but just be there as a friend? He's such a sweet person. Our prayers are with him, his wife and his family.

You normally play the leading man. Does it take something special for you to play a character role like this?

DW: Leading man is something that someone calls you when you do press junkets. I'm not a leading man. I'm an actor. I get the part and interpret it. I like the idea of this character not knowing anything about how to solve this problem. He has problems of his own. I like the fact that he spills coffee on himself. He's very good as a dispatcher. He's a star in that world, but he's taken out of his element. I like the fact that he doesn't want to take the mayor's truck home. He takes the subway. He knows where he belongs, and he's comfortable in that world. Important decisions to him are whether to get a gallon of milk or half a gallon. He started at the bottom. He got close to the top but was brought back down, and he's in denial. Everybody knows what's happened. He's gaining weight, but he's eating because of underlying tension. And then he gets an opportunity to redeem himself.