'The Magnificent Seven' actor Denzel Washington never watched cowboy movies when he was younger.
Denzel Washington
The 61-year-old actor may be one of the stars of the Western remake, but he never saw the original and being brought up by a Pentecostal minister father meant he didn't really watch many movies apart from religious epics.
He said: "I grew up with 'King of Kings', 'The Ten Commandments'. I never went to see any cowboy movies.
"We didn't go to movies. I saw 'Bonanza', some of those TV shows, but I wanted to be outside, I didn't want to be in the house. I didn't want to watch cowboys, I wanted to be one."
Denzel has previously starred in remakes of 'The Taking Of Pelham 123' and 'The Manchurian Candidate' and never worries about offering new takes on classic tales.
He told Metro newspaper: "It's like when I tell my kids about something from the past. They go, 'That was then. This is ours, now.' "
And the actor hopes the themes of atonement among a world of greed and destruction resonate with audiences.
He said: "These are all problems we are suffering from as a society and as a world.
"At the same time, people go to the movies and they want to say, 'Who's on our side? Who's standing up for us?'
"We're just a movie and we can't cover all the bases but we can maybe make people feel empowered."
Denzel and wife Pauletta's four children are all doing well in Hollywood, with John David, 32, starring in 'Ballers', Katia, 29, co-producer on his next film 'Fences', 25-year-old Malcolm recently graduated from the American Film Institute, while his twin sister Olivia appeared in 'The Butler'.
The proud father said: "Two actors, a producer and a director. [Where did they get their talent?] Their mother."
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