NEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n\n- \n\n
Spike Lee reflected on his and Denzel Washington\u2019s three-decades-long friendship after first starring together in 1990’s Mo’ Better Blues<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
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This comes after Lee and Washington released their fifth movie together called Highest 2 Lowest earlier this year<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
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Lee previously shared that it was a “blessing” that they got to work on “films that the people love” together<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Spike Lee<\/a> is revealing the key ingredient to his and Denzel Washington<\/a>\u2019s longtime friendship.<\/p>\nThe Malcolm X filmmaker, 68, reflected on how his friendship with Washington, 70, has grown over the last three decades since they first collaborated together on Mo\u2019 Better Blues in 1990.<\/p>\n
\u201cDennis and I, our relationship is based upon love and trust, trust and love,\u201d Lee tells PEOPLE at the Wall Street Journal Innovator Awards 2025 on Wednesday, Oct. 29.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd our families are close too,\u201d he adds of wife Tonya Lewis Lee<\/a> and their two children, daughter Satchel, 30, and son Jackson, 28. (Washington shares sons John David, 41, and\u00a0 Malcolm, 34, and daughters Katia, 38, and Olivia, 34, with his wife Pauletta Washington<\/a>.)<\/p>\nLee notes that his latest film with Washington Highest 2 Lowest<\/a>, which premiered in select theaters in August before heading to Apple TV+ in September, was his fifth project with the star after Mo\u2019 Better Blues, Malcolm X (1992), He Got Game (1998) and Inside Man (2206).<\/p>\n![\"Robin](\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/WNGxjnYJB5aa3ltJ7sBoFg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/365348f3c80c5272b69ba9785ee3a13d\"\/)
<\/span><\/div>\n\nRobin Platzer\/FilmMagic<\/p>\n
Denzel Washington and Spike Lee<\/p><\/div>\n
It also may be their last, as he notes that his longtime friend and collaborator \u201chas been talking about retirement<\/a>, even though he just did another deal.\u201d<\/p>\n“The five films together, you know, they stand up. Malcolm X, I mean, what he did with that film, it’s amazing,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n
“It’s been a blessing to have this body of work of us doing films that the people love, so it’s a blessing, again,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a sentiment that Washington shares as well. After the director presented him with the honorary Palme d’Or<\/a> at the premiere of their film at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, the Fences actor said during his speech that \u201cit was a great opportunity to collaborate with my brother once again \u2014 brother from another mother, Spike.”<\/p>\n![\"Frazer](\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/.o7ALhb6WJADwSjHVjDnGA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/ff350414b367b11e071858426af034af\"\/)
<\/span><\/div>\n\nFrazer Harrison\/WireImage<\/p>\n
Spike Lee and Denzel Washington<\/p><\/div>\n
Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for\u00a0PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a>\u00a0to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\nThe filmmaking duo also have each other\u2019s backs both on screen and off screen. Lee shared at Cannes that he still believed Washington should have won an Academy Award<\/a> for their Malcolm X biopic over Al Pacino<\/a>, who won Best Actor at the 1993 Oscars<\/a> for Scent of a Woman. Washington eventually earned his first Oscar win through 2001\u2019s Training Day.<\/p>\n“With these awards, it’s like basketball, where a ref blows the call and then you got the make up call. So the make up call I think was Training Day, which [Washington] won the Oscar for,” Lee said at the time.<\/p>\n
“But we don’t do our work for awards, which are nice, and I think that it’s the work that’s going to stand above all awards,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Spike Lee reflected on his and Denzel Washington\u2019s three-decades-long friendship after first starring together in 1990’s Mo’ Better Blues<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
This comes after Lee and Washington released their fifth movie together called Highest 2 Lowest earlier this year<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
Lee previously shared that it was a “blessing” that they got to work on “films that the people love” together<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Spike Lee<\/a> is revealing the key ingredient to his and Denzel Washington<\/a>\u2019s longtime friendship.<\/p>\n The Malcolm X filmmaker, 68, reflected on how his friendship with Washington, 70, has grown over the last three decades since they first collaborated together on Mo\u2019 Better Blues in 1990.<\/p>\n \u201cDennis and I, our relationship is based upon love and trust, trust and love,\u201d Lee tells PEOPLE at the Wall Street Journal Innovator Awards 2025 on Wednesday, Oct. 29.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd our families are close too,\u201d he adds of wife Tonya Lewis Lee<\/a> and their two children, daughter Satchel, 30, and son Jackson, 28. (Washington shares sons John David, 41, and\u00a0 Malcolm, 34, and daughters Katia, 38, and Olivia, 34, with his wife Pauletta Washington<\/a>.)<\/p>\n Lee notes that his latest film with Washington Highest 2 Lowest<\/a>, which premiered in select theaters in August before heading to Apple TV+ in September, was his fifth project with the star after Mo\u2019 Better Blues, Malcolm X (1992), He Got Game (1998) and Inside Man (2206).<\/p>\n Robin Platzer\/FilmMagic<\/p>\n Denzel Washington and Spike Lee<\/p><\/div>\n It also may be their last, as he notes that his longtime friend and collaborator \u201chas been talking about retirement<\/a>, even though he just did another deal.\u201d<\/p>\n “The five films together, you know, they stand up. Malcolm X, I mean, what he did with that film, it’s amazing,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n “It’s been a blessing to have this body of work of us doing films that the people love, so it’s a blessing, again,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a sentiment that Washington shares as well. After the director presented him with the honorary Palme d’Or<\/a> at the premiere of their film at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, the Fences actor said during his speech that \u201cit was a great opportunity to collaborate with my brother once again \u2014 brother from another mother, Spike.”<\/p>\n Frazer Harrison\/WireImage<\/p>\n Spike Lee and Denzel Washington<\/p><\/div>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for\u00a0PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a>\u00a0to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n The filmmaking duo also have each other\u2019s backs both on screen and off screen. Lee shared at Cannes that he still believed Washington should have won an Academy Award<\/a> for their Malcolm X biopic over Al Pacino<\/a>, who won Best Actor at the 1993 Oscars<\/a> for Scent of a Woman. Washington eventually earned his first Oscar win through 2001\u2019s Training Day.<\/p>\n “With these awards, it’s like basketball, where a ref blows the call and then you got the make up call. So the make up call I think was Training Day, which [Washington] won the Oscar for,” Lee said at the time.<\/p>\n “But we don’t do our work for awards, which are nice, and I think that it’s the work that’s going to stand above all awards,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<\/span><\/div>\n
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