The Equalizer 3 Director Insists Robert McCall is a Hero: 'The End Justifies the Means'
The Equalizer 3's Antoine Fuqua says audiences should consider Denzel Washington's Robert McCall a good man despite the brutality of his methods.
The Equalizer 3 director Antoine Fuqua recently weighed in on whether protagonist Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) should be considered a hero, given his violent actions throughout the franchise.
Fuqua insisted that McCall ultimately belongs on the side of the angels in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. "Yeah, [McCall's] a good man," he said. "It took him a while to get there, but he is a good man... The end justifies the means. He did it for the right reasons." Fuqua is presumably alluding to the various people who benefited from McCall's brutal form of justice across the three Equalizer installments, such as Ralphie (Johnny Skourtis) and Alina/Teri (Chloë Grace Moretz), although the director also made it clear that he never intended to include these characters in the trilogy's final chapter.
Fuqua unpacked the methodology behind McCall's one-man war on crime in a previous interview, making it clear that the retired marine and former DIA officer never lets his emotions get the better of him. "[McCall's] more of a thinking man of violence. He's about strategy and the least amount of effort, like a samurai. He's going to take you out. He understands there's no rule in violence. There's no rule in a fight. Anything that's available is going to get you out of the way. That's what's going to happen," he explained. Fuqua also branded The Equalizer 3's action scenes as "very personal" as they are closely tied to McCall's arc in the sequel.
Washington and Fanning Reunite for The Equalizer 3
Shooting the film's dialogue scenes was presumably an emotional experience as well, especially those that reunited Washington with his Man on Fire co-star Dakota Fanning. Fuqua recalled how the Washington/Fanning reunion came about in the Hollywood Reporter interview, noting that Fanning's manager paved the way for the pair to act opposite each other again by calling Equalizer 3 producer Todd Black. Black then got in touch with Fuqua, who met with Fanning before asking Washington if he was open to her joining the production. Fuqua said that Washington "loved the idea," and Fanning was subsequently hired.
Whether Washington or Fanning will reprise their respective roles in a fourth Equalizer outing is currently unclear, although Fuqua recently expressed interest in helming such a project -- so long as one condition is met. According to Fuqua, he will only sign on for The Equalizer 4 if Washington agrees to return.