Alan J Pakula directed some of the most forward-thinking and cutting-edge films of the New Hollywood movement, leading to a fearless voice that encouraged audiences to engage with controversial stories that challenged the status quo.
Whether it be Klute and the relationship between a sex worker and a private detective or All The President’s Men and the inner lives of the journalists who exposed the Watergate scandal, the director has always created films that allow his actors to truly showcase their talents, from Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford to Jane Fonda.
But there was one film that united him with one of the ultimate Hollywood greats and a relative newcomer to the industry—a bold combination that became a huge inspiration for Julia Roberts.
Few directors have paired very experienced actors with very new actors, whether it be Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine or a young Kristen Stewart with Jodie Foster. It can be a risky casting decision if you’re working with someone of such a high level who could have little patience for someone less experienced than them, but it was something that surprisingly worked when Julia Roberts was cast alongside the great Denzel Washington.
Washington has tackled some of the most monumental acting challenges of all time, with his portrayal of Malcom X going down in cinematic history as one of the most magnetic and assured performances of all time. It was a production that quite literally almost cost him his life, with the actor being met with countless death threats due to the controversy associated with the real-life person he was depicting, something heightened by the fact that Spike Lee was tackling the story.
The actor has worked with everyone from Ridley Scott to Joel Coen and Jonathan Demme, with a ferocious approach to his craft that naturally led him to cross paths with Pakula, working together on The Pelican Brief in 1993.
The Pelican Brief follows a law student whose theory about the recent deaths of two Supreme Court justices lands her in a web of murder, corruption and greed, with Roberts playing the lead character and Washington in the supporting role as Gray Grantham.
At this point in her career, Roberts was still fairly new to the world of filmmaking, having just skyrocketed to fame after starring in Pretty Woman and Steel Magnolias, as well as with small roles in Hook and The Player. But The Pelican Brief marked a new turn in her career as her first dramatic role, with Washington having a huge influence on her craft at such a young age.
When speaking with Washington about how he inspired her career, Roberts said, “Working with you was like working with The Beatles. You are the greatest talent of any time”. It’s a just and accurate statement, with Washington’s talent being as intimidating and awe-inducing as the phenomenon caused by The Beatles.
While Roberts strayed from dramatic projects for a while after finding success in the rom-com genre, she soon found her way back to this side of acting, eventually winning an Academy Award for her stellar performance in Erin Brockovich.
