Denzel Washington had to "lighten up" for '2 Guns'.
The Oscar-nominated actor is used to playing dramatic roles, so it was quite a challenge for him to embrace the light-hearted nature of his new action-comedy with Mark Wahlberg, according to the film's director Baltasar Kormakur.
He told Empire magazine: "It was interesting to try to get Denzel to lighten up a little bit, because that hasn't been what he's recognised for. [This movie] doesn't take itself too seriously."
It appears the veteran actor - who recently earned an Academy Award nomination for 'Flight' - embraced the silliness of his new movie and even suggested scenes in which he and Wahlberg's character fight like little children in the playground.
Wahlberg explained: "It was Denzel's idea that when kids are fighting, nobody wants to let go or be the first to give up."
While the action-packed film - which sees the stars play rival government agents forced to work together to solve a major crime - lends itself to a potential sequel, much like action comedies such as 'Bad Boys' and 'Rush Hour', Washington is reluctant about reprising his role.
He said: "By nature, franchise is a bad word for me. I was asked to do 'Inside Man 2', but it didn't have the magic that the first one had."
However, Wahlberg - who will star in 'Transformers 4' and a follow-up to hit teddy bear caper, 'Ted' - is more agreeable to a potential sequel.
He added: "If you can make the second one better or more interesting than the first, great. If not, there's a lot of places you can go to get a pay cheque."
Tagged in Denzel Washington Mark Wahlberg Baltasar Kormakur