Denzel Washington: "You can't rely on the studios"

Denzel Washington has said that actors can no longer rely on the studio system for the movies they want to make.

The Safe House star told Metro that the decision-making process among the majors has changed along with the ownership model.

"Studios are now owned by big corporations, so all the decisions are made in a completely different way. The mid-majors, places like Summit, are like what studios used to be.

"The big studios are more interested in their big tent-pole movies and farm out the rest of it and take distribution deals... You can't rely on the studios, you have to know where to go to find it."

Of the $30 million budget for new movie Flight, he said: "Bob Zemeckis and I took one-tenth of our usual salary but almost 40% of the back-end - so if it hits, ker-ching. If not, we still made the movie we wanted.

"It's called 'showbusiness'. I don't have a problem with that. Five years ago we might have got $70 million to make it - now they're looking for Mission: Impossible 6 or Twilight 4.

"Studios will take the credit for smaller movies if they get Oscars but I get it, we're in tough economic times."

Safe House topped the US box office at the weekend with takings of $24 million.

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Watch the Safe House trailer below: