Denzel Washington receives surprise honorary Palme d'Or at Cannes premiere for 'Highest 2 Lowest'

CANNES, France (AP) — Denzel Washington sandwiched a whirlwind trip to the Cannes Film Festival, in between Broadway performances, for the premiere of Spike Lee's "Highest 2 Lowest" on Monday — and was rewarded with a surprise: an honorary Palme d'Or.

Cannes had flipped around some of its scheduling to accommodate Washington's speedy France trip, which came on his lone off-day while performing “Othello” in New York. Cannes Film Festival chief Thierry Frémaux surprised Washington with the award before the Monday night premiere.

“This is my brother, right here,” said the film’s director, Spike Lee, who passed the award to Washington.

“This is a total surprise for me,” said Washington.

The festival usually gives out one or two honorary Palme d'Ors each edition — last year, the awardees were Studio Ghibli and George Lucas. Last week, Robert de Niro received one on the festival's opening night. De Niro's award was announced in advance, but surprise prizes aren't unheard of: In 2022, Tom Cruise was presented with a surprise honorary Palme d'Or just before the screening of "Top Gun: Maverick."

While the festival's photo calls usually happen the day after a film's premiere, Cannes hosted one for "Highest 2 Lowest" earlier Monday so Washington could attend. The actor, playfully posing with Lee and co-star A$AP Rocky, showed no signs of jet leg and was expected to fly back to New York immediately after the screening.

Lee also came to Cannes with obligations back in New York on his mind. He arrived at the film's premiere decked out in Knicks colors and wearing a blue and orange striped suit.

That Washington would be able to make the trip had been a sticking point for Cannes. When the festival first announced its lineup last month, "Highest 2 Lowest" wasn't included. Within hours, however, Lee himself announced the film was heading to Cannes. Representatives for the festival said they had been waiting for confirmation that Washington would attend to walk the red carpet.

“Highest 2 Lowest,” a remake of Akira Kurosawa's 1963 film “High and Low,” will be released in theaters by A24 on Aug. 22 before streaming on Apple TV+ on Sept. 5.