Six years after starring together in the Civil War drama Glory, Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman nearly reunited in David Fincher’s masterful crime film, Se7en. However, in one of the most regretful decisions of his Hollywood career, Washington turned down the role of Detective David Mills, which opened the door for Brad Pitt to star in his biggest breakout role outside of Thelma & Louise.
In addition to becoming an A-list movie star following Se7en, the film marked the first of three iconic collaborations between Pitt and Fincher, including Fight Club and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. As the all-time great crime movie celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2025, fans are sure to get a thrill to learn why Denzel turned down the chance to star in Se7en and how he handled the decision afterward.
Brad Pitt Broke Out as David Mills in ‘Se7en’
In one of the most clever crime scripts of the 1990s, Andrew Kevin Walker’s Se7en follows the veteran, nearly-retired Lieutenant Detective William Somerset (Freeman) and his newly transferred younger partner, Detective David Mills (Pitt). Set in rainy Seattle, Washington, and directed with stylish, moody detail by David Fincher, the story follows Somerset and Mills as they pursue a psychotic serial killer who goes by the alias John Doe, played with icy menace by Kevin Spacey.
Inspired by the Bible’s seven deadly sins, John Doe begins murdering sordid individuals who suffer from gluttony, greed, envy, lust, sloth, wrath, and pride. John Doe begins threatening Mills’ wife and unborn child, and the personal and professional blur with high stakes, culminating in one of the most disturbing and shocking endings of all time. The performances and masterful craftsmanship across the board remain so strong 30 years later that Se7en’s ranking at #20 on IMDb’s Top 250 Movies ever made is well-deserved.
While it’s true that Pitt had already amassed over 30 credits before starring in Se7en, including significant performances in Ridley Scott’s Thelma & Louise, Robert Redford’s A River Runs Through It, Tony Scott’s True Romance, and Neil Jordan’s Interview with the Vampire, Se7en shot his star wattage into a whole new stratosphere, and he has Denzel to thank.
In Se7en, Pitt showcased a vulnerability previously unseen by the actor, particularly in the later scenes where Mills grapples with his wife’s grisly fate. Pitt’s performance opposite Freeman and Spacey was so strong that Fincher cast him again in Fight Club, one of the best movies of the 1990s, and in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, a 13-time Oscar nominee and 4-time winner. Benjamin Button earned Pitt his second Oscar nomination and first for Best Actor in a Leading Role.
Why Denzel Washington Turned Down ‘Se7en’
After co-starring with Morgan Freeman and winning an Oscar for his performance in Glory, Denzel Washington was offered a chance to reunite with the revered actor in Se7en. Once Freeman was cast as Detective Somerset, Fincher offered the role of David Mills to Washington, who read the script and turned it down for one specific reason.
Fellow Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx asked Denzel if there were any memorable roles he had been offered but declined. With a rueful look on his face, Denzel stated:
“I turned down Se7en. They wanted me to play the Brad Pitt [role]. I thought the script was too demonic. But then I saw the movie, and I was like ‘oh, I blew it.’ But, you know, it worked out all right.”
For Denzel, the decision indeed worked out. Although he didn’t star in Se7en and has never worked with Fincher or Pitt since, Denzel went on to star in Tony Scott’s Crimson Tide and Carl Franklin’s Devil in a Blue Dress, both terrific movies released in 1995, the same year as Se7en. Staying in the crime genre, Denzel won his second Oscar (following Glory) for his terrifying turn in Training Day seven years later.
But there’s a delicious slice of irony here that must be addressed. Despite labeling Se7en as “too demonic” — whether he meant that literally or not — there is nothing remotely supernatural about the movie, nor are there any actual demons in the story. Cut three years ahead to 1998, when Denzel starred in arguably the most underrated film of his illustrious career, the supernatural demonic thriller Fallen.
Co-starring John Goodman, Donald Sutherland, James Gandolfini, Elias Koteas, and others, Fallen stars Denzel as Philadelphia homicide detective John Hobbes. The premise of the movie concerns a demonic entity that transfers its evil soul from human to human with the slightest physical touch. As the deadly demon continues to change forms and exact a killing spree, Hobbes finds his own family under threat and must stop the evil scourge before it’s too late.
The grand irony of Denzel turning down Se7en for being too demonic, only to star in a truly demonic thriller three years later, reinforces his regret for passing on the Detective Mills role. Even so, Fallen deserves to be mentioned alongside Se7en as a genuinely riveting ’90s crime thriller that Denzel should be proud of and that fans should see immediately.
- Release Date
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September 22, 1995
- Runtime
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127 minutes
- Writers
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Andrew Kevin Walker
- Producers
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Arnold Kopelson, Phyllis Carlyle