Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning explain how they’ve kept in touch for 20 years

The pair starred in the modern classic Man on Fire in 2004.

Dakota Fanning and Denzel Washington have revealed that their bond goes well beyond the screen, with the pair remaining close for almost 20 years. The two both starred in Tony Scott's action thriller flick Man on Fire in 2004. Fanning was just 9 years old when she played Pita Ramos, the child who the film's hero John Creasy (Washington) works as a bodyguard for in Mexico. When cast in the film, Fanning was just starting out whereas Washington was already a seasoned veteran with two Academy Awards to his name (for 1989's Glory and 2001's Training Day). The two actors will reunite onscreen for the first time in almost two decades next month when The Equalizer 3 lands in cinemas. And in the run-up to the blockbuster's release, Washington and Fanning have been on a publicity tour, speaking to the press about their friendship. Washington was incredibly complimentary of the young star, now 29, telling Entertainment Tonight (ET): “She knows how to hit the ball back over the net. Sky’s the limit for her.” But for the two-time Oscar-winner, working with Fanning as an adult took a little time to get used to. “It was weird because I’m like: ‘Oh she’s a grown woman,'” he said.

“She was like a grown woman then, but now she’s a grown woman. And obviously a great talent… It wasn’t really strange because she was bringing it.”

Fanning also detailed how entwined the pair's lives have been since they first starred alongside each other, telling ET that she is friends with one of Washington’s daughters, having spent time together at New York University. “I’ve obviously known Denzel for a big part of my life, and one of his daughters is one of my closest friends, so I’m always in the loop,” she explained. As for the reunion all these years later, Fanning summed up: “It’s been almost 20 years and I was quite young [in Man on Fire], but that’s not an experience that one forgets.

“The second time, I felt the same, like, my body felt the same feeling that I remember feeling all those years ago – excitement and a little bit of nerves and wanting to be as prepared as possible. He definitely is an actor that keeps you on your toes constantly.”

The Equalizer 3 sees Fanning portray a CIA agent sent to Italy to investigate mafia activity. There, she meets up with Robert McCall (Washington), a former government assassin who has relocated to the country in an attempt to move on with his life and reconcile some of the violence he has committed. At first, McCall enjoys the slow pace of life but when he realises his new community is under the control of local crime bosses, he feels compelled to act in the only way he knows how. The Equalizer 3 lands in Irish cinemas on 30 August. Read more:

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