Washington: Reynolds gave me a black eye

Hollywood film star Denzel Washington says he sustained his first black eye during a fight scene with Ryan Reynolds, his co-star in the thriller "Safe House." Asked at a recent press conference in New York if anyone was hurt while making the action picture, Washington told reporters, "Ryan gave me a black eye." "There's a scene where I reach over [a car seat] to try to choke him and I have handcuffs on. We were flying around in the car. He wasn't actually driving the car, it was being controlled by somebody else. So, it just happened as I was reaching forward, he was flying back and pow!" the 57-year-old double-Oscar winner recalled. "And that was my early retirement," quipped Reynolds, who was sitting beside Washington. "I've given Denzel Washington a black eye, I should probably go home. "That first look you gave me after it happened, I just ...," Reynolds, 35, said to his co-star. "That was a real look," Washington laughed. "It felt real," Reynolds replied. "It was weird to feel my face on fire [from embarrassment.]" "It was strange because I'd never had a black eye in my life, but I can't say that any more," Washington admitted. "I'm glad I was your first. If it was going to be anyone, it was an apologetic Canadian," Reynolds joked. In the film, Reynolds plays a CIA agent charged with minding Washington's brilliant, dangerous ex-intelligence officer, who has gone rogue, in a remote location in South Africa. The R-rated movie hit theaters Friday. Washington's film credits include "Glory," "Malcolm X," "The Hurricane," "Training Day," "Inside Man" and "American Gangster." He won a Tony Award in 2010 for his work in the play "Fences." Reynolds has starred in the hit movies "The Proposal," "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" and "Green Lantern."