T.I. Recalls Denzel Washington's Advice On Set Of "American Gangster"

T.I. says that Denzel Washington helped him with his nerves on the set of "American Gangster."

BYCole Blake
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T.I. recently reflected on his work on American Gangster alongside Denzel Washington. Speaking with Shannon Sharpe during an appearance on the Club Shay Shay podcast, T.I. recalled some advice the legendary actor gave him.

“As we’re rehearsing, I’m pacing back and forth, pacing back and forth,” he told the former NFL star. “And he said, ‘What’s up, n***a? You nervous?’ I’m like, ‘Man, I’m just making sure I don’t mess it up.’"

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - AUGUST 07: T.I. onstage during 2022 InvestFest at Georgia World Congress Center on August 07, 2022 in Atlanta. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

T.I. continued: “He said, ‘Here man, listen. They could have had anybody in here doing what you’re doing right now. They could have anybody in the world, they could have called anybody right here to do what you’re doing.'”

T.I. further elaborated: “I said, ‘Yeah, yeah.’ He said, ‘They called you for a reason didn’t they?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ He said, ‘You know what that reason is?’ I started thinking and I said, ‘Yeah, I do.’"

From there, Washington remarked to T.I., "‘Alright then, do that and you ain’t got no reason to be nervous.'”

T.I.’s role in American Gangster was one of his earliest movie appearances. Other rappers appeared in the film as well, including Common and RZA.

Speaking with MTV back in 2007, T.I. previously said: “It’s like when a Hip Hop fan hears a song like [DJ Khaled‘s] ‘We Takin’ Over’ and you hear all your favorites and you hear them at their best.”

American Gangster was directed by legendary filmmaker Ridley Scott and featured an all-star cast. In addition to T.I., Washington, RZA, and Common, it stars Russell Crowe, Josh Brolin, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Cuba Gooding Jr., among others.

Revisit the trailer for American Gangster below.

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About The Author
Cole Blake is currently an Editor at HotNewHipHop based out of Brooklyn, New York. He began working at the site as an intern back in 2018 while studying journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s graduated with a bachelor's degree and written extensively about a wide range of topics including pop culture, film & television, politics, video games, sports, and much more. He’s also covered music festivals such as Gov. Ball and Rolling Loud. You can find him publishing work for HNHH from Monday to Wednesday or on weekends. On the sports front, Cole’s a passionate NBA and NFL fan with his favorite teams being the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Lakers. He also roots for the Yankees whenever he finds himself at Yankee Stadium or the Red Storm when in the company of other SJU alumni. His favorite hip-hop artists are billy woods, Earl Sweatshirt, Cam’ron, MIKE, and Mach-Hommy.