Denzel Washington explains the real story behind one of his key scenes in Glory. Glory is a 1989 war epic about Robert Gould Shaw, who led the first all-Black volunteer company in the United States Civil War. Col. Shaw is played by Ferris Bueller’s Day Off star Matthew Broderick, with a supporting cast that includes Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, Cary Elwes, Andre Braugher, and John Finn. Glory was directed by Edward Zwick and won three Oscars, including for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Washington.
Speaking with Variety, Washington speaks about a moment in Glory being called his “signature move.” The interviewer asks Washington to speak on what audiences call his “signature move“: the single tear cry, which he does in Glory. Washington clarifies that this is “not a signature movie” but instead was a “real tear” that he sheds in Glory. He goes on to reveal the real story, that the whip in the scene was “wet” and “it was hitting [him] in the back, and it hurt.” Check out the full quote from Washington below:
That’s not a “signature move.” Signature move sounds like a go-to. In fact, I teared because the whip was wet and it actually hurt. It was a real tear. That’s a true story. It was felt, and if you go back and look, they kept wetting everything down, and the felt was wet. And it was hitting me in the back, and it hurt… I don’t even know [how many takes we did], or how he cut it to be honest with you. He cut back and forth so many times, there’s no telling what takes it is. All I know It hurt — I wasn’t crying but it was a real tear.
What The Single Tear Scene Was Interpreted As In Glory
The Single Tear Scene Is Highly Cinematic
As Washington makes reference to, the Glory scene in question occurs when the character Private Trip gets whipped. Leading up to this moment, Col. Shaw is ordered to whip Trip after the soldier is accused of desertion. Shaw follows these orders and calls for Trip to be whipped in front of his entire company. As he is whipped, Washington mostly stands stoic, until some emotion is revealed as the character sheds a single tear.
The very cinematic nature of the single tear’s presentation led many to believe that this was an intentional acting choice on the part of Washington.
As Trip gradually reveals more emotion, the camera slowly zooms in on his face. Once his tear duct wells up, the camera stays in a close-up position as the iconic single tear is shed down his face. The very cinematic nature of the single tear’s presentation led many to believe that this was an intentional acting choice on the part of Washington, leading to the assertion of the single tear as his “signature move.” As it turns out, per this interview, Washington’s tear came instead from a more genuine place.
Why Glory Is One Of Washington’s Most Iconic Roles
Washington Was Not As Well-Known When He Acted In Glory
Watching back the whipping scene, I am struck by how effective Washington’s single tear moment is. While he is a powerhouse actor today, Washington was a relative unknown when he acted in Glory. This made his stellar performance even more surprising and powerful, as the single tear moment (and countless other powerful scenes) came from an actor with whom few people were familiar. Glory earned the actor his second Oscar nomination and first-ever win, kickstarting what would become a prolific career for Washington.
Source: Variety
