Denzel Washington had no idea what was coming—but the Cannes crowd sure did. The legendary actor, now 70, received a heartwarming shock at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival when he was presented with an honorary Palme d’Or, courtesy of longtime collaborator and cinematic partner-in-crime, Spike Lee.
The two were at the festival to unveil their latest project, Highest 2 Lowest, but the evening quickly turned into something much more personal.
Clearly caught off guard, Washington accepted the honour with a smile and teary eyes. “Sit down, please,” he told the applauding crowd, trying to calm the storm of praise.
“This is a total surprise for me so I’m a little emotional, but from the bottom of my heart, I thank you all. It was a great opportunity to collaborate with my brother once again — brother from another mother, Spike.”
The room shared a laugh as Washington added, “To be here once again in Cannes, you know, we’re a very privileged group in this room that we get to make movies and wear tuxedos and nice clothes and dress up and get paid for it as well.
He added, “You know, we’re just blessed beyond measure, I’m blessed beyond measure, and from the bottom of my heart, I thank you all. Thank you.”
Each year, Cannes shines a spotlight on cinematic legends with the honorary Palme d’Or, and this year’s moment with Washington was pure gold.
Just days earlier, Leonardo DiCaprio took the stage to present Robert De Niro with his own honorary Palme, reflecting on how meeting De Niro in the ’90s “changed my life forever.”
Washington and Lee’s return to the screen together with Highest 2 Lowest marks their first collaboration since Inside Man in 2006, and it’s their fifth film as a team.
Their latest project reimagines Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 classic High and Low, swapping the streets of Japan for the gritty, unpredictable rhythm of modern-day New York City.
And the plot? A titan of the music industry—famous for having the “best ears in the business”—finds himself tangled in a ransom plot that spirals into a high-stakes moral reckoning.
Just your typical Spike-Denzel team-up, stylish, sharp, and soaked in tension.
Highest 2 Lowest hits select theaters on August 22 and will make its streaming debut on Apple TV+ starting September 5.
