Actress Kelly Lynch Says Denzel Washington’s On-Set Changes “Ruined” What Could’ve Been a Hit Movie

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Kelly Lynch shared a story about filming the 1995 sci-fi movie Virtuosity with Denzel Washington, and she said the production process wasn’t smooth.

In an interview with The AV Club, director David Lynch stated that actress Isabella Rossellini significantly altered the script, and he felt these changes negatively impacted the final movie.

Lynch stated the film began with a strong script, and her character, Madison Carter, was initially intended to be Parker Barnes’s love interest. However, she believes things changed after Washington joined the project, and he may have used his position to reshape it.

She explained that when a film’s director doesn’t provide strong leadership, actors sometimes feel they need to step up and take control. She described director Brett Leonard as lacking experience, which she believes contributed to this feeling.

Lynch explained that Washington disliked the romantic subplot and completely rewrote the script. As a result, her character was diminished to a standard “damsel in distress” role, which she strongly disliked. She also stated that lines originally written for her were given to Washington’s character, and she felt this was when the script fell apart.

Lynch explained that Washington defended cutting the romantic storyline, claiming white viewers wouldn’t accept a Black man and a white woman in a relationship. Lynch strongly disagreed with this reasoning. “It really upset me,” she said. “It not only ruined the movie, in my opinion, but I believe he was motivated by fear. He genuinely believed his explanation, but I think he was mistaken.”

Released in 1995, Virtuosity is a film starring Russell Crowe about a police officer tracking down a criminal who is actually a highly advanced artificial intelligence. While it earned $37 million against a $30 million budget, the movie wasn’t a big hit with critics, who generally found it lacked originality despite featuring a strong cast.

Looking back, Lynch feels the film could have been significantly improved if they’d stuck to the initial creative plan. Though Denzel Washington became a highly acclaimed actor, Lynch implies the making of Virtuosity was actually quite difficult and fraught with issues that weren’t apparent to audiences.

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2025-11-09 00:15