Denzel Washington Honored with Honorary Palme d’Or at Cannes Amid Red Carpet Confrontation

Last Updated May - 20 - 2025, 05:20 PM | Source : Fela News

Denzel Washington received the prestigious honorary Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival, celebrating his cinematic legacy. The night also saw a tense moment as h

Monday night marked a memorable moment in Denzel Washington’s illustrious career. He was honored with the prestigious honorary Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. However, the celebration was briefly overshadowed by a tense confrontation with a photographer on the red carpet.

During the premiere of his film Highest 2 Lowest, Washington exchanged heated words with a photographer. Footage shows the actor approaching the photographer, pointing a finger at him while reprimanding him. When the photographer tried to ease the tension by touching Washington’s arm, the actor reacted strongly, pushing the hand away and warning, “Don’t put your hands on me again,” before walking off.

Before this incident, Washington was conversing with his co-star A$AP Rocky, while director Spike Lee chatted with the rapper. Washington’s focus later shifted to the photographers.

The highlight of the evening came when Washington was unexpectedly presented with the honorary Palme d’Or, recognizing his remarkable career in cinema. The award was announced just before the screening of Highest 2 Lowest, directed by Spike Lee. Washington expressed surprise at the honor, saying, “This is a total surprise for me.”

The Cannes Festival typically awards one or two honorary Palmes each year. Last year, Studio Ghibli and George Lucas were recipients, and earlier this year, Robert De Niro received one, though his was announced before the festival began. Surprise honors, like the one given to Tom Cruise in 2022 before Top Gun: Maverick, are not uncommon.