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Denzel Washington found himself in a heated confrontation with a group of paparazzi recently, after they surrounded him while he was out in public.

In footage captured outside New York City’s Museum of Modern Art on Wednesday, the actor initially appeared in good spirits, smiling and posing for photos. However, the mood shifted when an overzealous individual in the crowd seemed to push his limits, prompting Washington to respond in a tense exchange.

The usually composed actor appeared visibly frustrated as tensions escalated, with Denzel Washington seen exchanging words and gesturing at the photographers.

Washington channeled some serious “American Gangster” energy during a recent encounter with a group of paparazzi and potential autograph seekers who seemed to cross a line. The incident showed the actor’s frustration as he firmly confronted one person, creating a heated scene.

Although much of the conversation in the clip, obtained by TMZ, is difficult to make out, what you can hear is Washington advising the group to calm down, urging them to be patient and respectful. He suggests they’ll have a chance to meet him later, depending on their behavior, implying they might miss out if they continue to act aggressively.

“Alright, I said I’ll see you when I get out; which part of that don’t y’all understand?” he is heard saying. “Or not. Or not. We could do it another way. Either way.”

It’s not super clear what exactly set the actor off.

During a Q&A at an advanced screening, he joked that his character is “misunderstood” and that he is actually “a nice fellow.”

“He’s trying to use everybody. He’d use his mother, he’d use his own children; he’s already used up his soul, so he didn’t have any left. He’s in bed with the devil,” Washington said, per The Hollywood Reporter, noting that Ridley Scott made the process straightforward by constructing full-scale sets for filming in Malta.

“When you would walk around, you were in Rome, and it seemed like 10,000 extras and horses. It was make-believe, it was play, it was fun; just put the gear on, put the dress on and go, that’s the way I look at it,” he added. “I’m putting this dress on, these rings, and I’m going crazy.”

Paul Mescal also discussed his physical and emotional preparation for the role, joking that he initially had “this naive idea at the start where I was like, ‘I’m maybe going to just play a gladiator that kind of looks normal.’”

However, he soon realized the character required more depth, saying, “I always saw him like a dog, like somebody who would just scrap his way to survival,” adding that for much of the film, the character “doesn’t really care if he lives or dies.”

The film features Mescal as the adult Lucius Verus II, the nephew of Emperor Commodus from the original Gladiator movie, where Joaquin Phoenix portrayed Commodus.

In this sequel, Lucius returns to Rome after being enslaved, but instead of seeking power as a ruler, he becomes a gladiator on a quest for revenge and influence, determined to restore Rome’s glory to its people.

Mescal remarked that the sequel, arriving 24 years after the original, “wears the legacy of the first film with intense pride and honor.” He added, “I think it takes it in a direction that drives that honor and respect through the roof,” signaling that the new film builds upon the legacy while exploring new dimensions to elevate the story further.

“I think it’s made by the only man who could ever touch it, in Ridley Scott, and personally, as his friend and his long admirer, I think it’s one of his finest pieces of work that I’ve seen in recent times,” the actor added. “I’m so utterly proud of his work, my work, and everybody sitting here and everybody who’s not sitting here. I don’t think anybody can take that away from us.”

“Gladiator II” hits theaters on November 22.