Coming off the success of “If I Stay,” Chloë Grace Moretz now joins the cast of Columbia Pictures' new action-thriller “The Equalizer” as Teri – a young girl who has been forced into a life of intimidation and terror. After meeting with McCall (Denzel Washington), her story will reawaken in him a desire for justice.

For Moretz, it’s easy to see that the title role is perfect for Washington. “He’s so Denzel in the way he does his job,” she says, “McCall can be the most sweet, charming guy, with a huge smile on his face – and the next minute, he’s a killer, and you’re thinking, ‘WHOA! That happened quickly!’”

Of her role as Teri, the young actress says, “When I first heard that the character is a prostitute I thought that it would be a `Taxi Driver' type of role – pushing the boundaries a bit. But I was surprised. The role doesn't glorify prostitution nor make it cotton-candy. You never see her in the actual act of prostitution. The focus isn't on her profession but who she is as a person. You see that there is still a spark in her eye and that she yearns for something greater and if she can get out of this scary world, she could go on to a normal life. That’s what I loved about the character – this inner hope that was built into her story.”

Moretz says that inner hope is the basis of the bond that Teri forms with McCall. “He sees this dream in her,” she says. “It’s like there are two panes of glass – you have this terrified little girl, and right in front of it, a girl who’s been thrust into a terrifying world, putting on the face of a total badass to survive.”

Denzel Washington says that Teri, too, has a gift for looking beyond that first pane of glass. “She’s in the business of reading men – whether it’s a natural gift or she’s developed it through her profession,” Washington says. “Not to say she sees right through him, but she can see the pain, she can see the hurt.”

“The first time of meeting him, she cracks his code,” says Moretz. “She looks him right in the eyes. She notices his OCD tics – turning his book a hundred times, moving his stuff around. But it’s incredibly charming to her, to see someone who cares so much about things, when everyone around her is just going through the motions.”

Once she had the role, Moretz researched the character’s background. “There are girls who have been brought into rings from all over – from Russia, from Scandinavia,” she says. “I went to an amazing organization called Children of the Night – girls from all over America call a hotline number and they’re off the streets and in a home that cares for them. I didn’t want to exploit these girls – I’m an actor portraying a role – but as a girl, I wanted to understand. Meeting those girls not only helped me to be Teri truthfully and show who she is, but it allowed me, as a 16-year-old girl, to feel grateful and to put a spotlight on the organization.”

Last year, Moretz starred as Carrie White in the remake of the cult classic “Carrie,” alongside Julianne Moore; and reprised her role as fan favorite Hit-Girl in “Kick Ass 2," the sequel to Matthew Vaughn’s cult-classic film, Kick-Ass.” Her breakout role as ‘Hit-Girl’ in “Kick-Ass,” followed by a starring role in Matt Reeves’ remake of “Let Me In,” landed her on TIME Magazine’s prestigious Top 10 Performances of the Year list, as well as, the New York Times Best Performances of 2010 list.

Moretz also starred with Sir Ben Kingsley in Martin Scorsese’s critically acclaimed “Hugo,” which garnered 11 Oscar nominations. This was followed by a leading role in Tim Burton’s “Dark Shadows,” alongside Johnny Depp and Michelle Pfeffier.

Opening across the Philippines in October 01, 2014, “The Equalizer” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.

To realize the action of Columbia Pictures’ new action-thriller “The Equalizer,” the conversations began between director Antoine Fuqua, Denzel Washington, and Keith Woulard, one of the film’s stunt coordinators. “There’s a tendency in shooting action to shake the camera and move things around – the audience can’t tell what’s happening,” says Fuqua. That’s just what they didn’t want to do. “My goal was to take acting and make it action,” says Fuqua.

Fuqua’s inspiration for the way he would shoot the action scenes with McCall, Denzel’s character, was inspired by his interaction with real-life boxers. “I happen to have a very good friend who’s a great boxer – Sugar Ray Leonard,” he notes. “He’ll tell stories, and you’ll realize how smart a boxer can be. Sometimes they’ll touch you – hey, how you doin’ today? – and that’s their way of checking you out, seeing if you’re in shape, if they think you’re a threat. Or they’re watching you a certain way, to see how you move, how your body language is, what your strengths and weaknesses are. They can pick you apart. McCall is trained that way, too – he notices these things and uses them to his advantage. We had to show that.”

The next step was to slow it down. “When we first did the scene in the bar office, it was quick – really fast. I said, ‘It should be fast, but it should be personal. Let’s slow it down, let’s look at it like it was a scene of dialogue, so I can still see him as a character within all of this movement. How would that be done, where it’s Denzel doing what he does?”

It was also important to Fuqua that the scenes be realistic. “We asked ourselves, Can it really happen? Can you really physically do these things? What happens to a human being who is capable of doing that? And it turns out for most people, ordinary people, it’s not possible – you get into a car accident, your heart beats faster, you panic. For people like McCall, though, it’s just the opposite. Their heart rate slows down. The breathing slows down. Everything around them slows down. Their pupils open up to let in more light. It’s all really happening as they assess a room in seconds. And then, when they have it all figured out, they go into action.”

For Woulard, as a stunt coordinator, the process began by breaking down the script into its individual set pieces. “We talked to Denzel and Antoine about what they wanted to do,” he says. “In this particular case, Denzel didn’t want to do a lot of martial arts-type of fighting – he wanted straight, street, slick, creative fighting. And Antoine, of course, agreed.” Woulard brought his own experience in the military, including Special Forces, in creating the fights for the film.

For this particular film, it was imperative that the stunt team work closely with Washington and create action that the actor could perform himself. “We set up all of the action facing us. You see Denzel maybe 95% of the time,” Woulard notes. “So, about a month before we started shooting, I started training him – and we trained every day.”

Training was imperative, as the character is highly trained and an expert. “If you’re holding a knife in a knife fight with the blade sticking out, anybody who knows their stuff will say, ‘OK, you’re going to get the drop on this guy really quick,’” Woulard says. “But if that knife is turned and the blade is running down the palm of his hand, and his holding it like he’s boxing, well, that’s a guy who’s got some experience.”

One thing that sets Robert McCall apart is that he does not use a gun – he uses his environment, whatever is at hand, against his opponents. “There could be an ashtray on the table, a letter opener on the desk,” Woulard continues. “There could be a vase, a fork, a cup, a book. And when he’s fighting in Home Mart, he’s on his home turf – he can gather things up and combine them.”

In that way, the specific action of “The Equalizer” doesn’t end with the stunts – it cuts across all aspects of filmmaking, including photography and production design.

Opening across the Philippines in October 01, “The Equalizer” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.

Two-time Academy Award®-winning actor Denzel Washington is a man constantly on the move. Never comfortable repeating himself or his successes, Washington always searches for new challenges through his numerous and varied film and stage portrayals. From “Glory” to “Cry Freedom”; from Shakespeare's “Richard III,” to “Training Day,” to his most recent critically acclaimed performance in “Flight,” Washington has amazed and entertained audiences with a rich array of characters distinctly his own.

Now, Washington stars in Columbia Pictures' action-thriller “The Equalizer” as the mysterious Robert McCall whose driving force is an innate sense of justice.

“Robert McCall has done a lot of bad things in his past, and he’s trying to get beyond that – he’s not proud of his past, and he’s trying to do better,” Washington explains. After leaving that past behind to lead a quiet life, he finds that desire for justice reawakened when a young girl – abandoned by the rest of the world – needs his help. “He didn’t like himself – he never lost his skills, he made a conscious decision to put that behind him. It’s when he meets an innocent young girl who is being abused, that he decides to do something about it.”

“McCall’s motivation is simple,” says Todd Black, a producer of the film. “When there is an injustice to an ordinary person, someone who can’t defend themselves, because they’re not capable or they don’t even know where to start, he will take care of it – violently or nonviolently.”

“We’d all like to believe that there’s a guy out there who could help us, if only we could find him,” says producer Jason Blumenthal. “If somehow we could reply to an ad on the Internet, desperately pleading for help when no one else would take that call. I’d like to believe that in my hour of need, somebody out there would listen to me – somebody would drop everything and help me, just because. And that’s the Equalizer.”

In his role as a producer, Washington worked with screenwriter Richard Wenk to realize the role he wanted to play. He says they kept asking the basic questions – “Who is he? What makes him tick? What are his flaws? What is he trying to get over? I think that long ago, he started out as a man who wanted to help people, and it turned into something else. He had to put that all behind him, to shut the door. And this young innocent opens that door again.”

Similarly, Washington felt great confidence in his director, Antoine Fuqua. “He’s very talented,” says the actor. “We sent him the material and he responded – we sat down and he had tons of ideas – and it was a done deal.” Later, on set, that confidence paid off. “Antoine had the vision for the film – he was doing close work with specialized cameras, all of that stuff. But I never worried about any of that. The camera is Antoine’s area of expertise – I don’t have to worry about that. I just worry about the acting,” he smiles.

Since “Training Day,” Fuqua and Washington have had several opportunities to re-team, but “The Equalizer” is the first that actually brought them back together. “We didn’t force it,” says Blumenthal. “It wasn’t ‘Let’s get the guys that did Training Day together.’ That’s not a reason to make a movie. I think Antoine was looking to make a movie where he could get back into character and really understand what makes a person tick. You can only build a great character if you’ve got an unbelievable actor, and of course, we had Denzel. So the challenge then became finding a character that Denzel could sink into and a world that Antoine could bring to life.”

Opening across the Philippines in October 01, 2014, “The Equalizer” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.

Columbia Pictures has just released a five-minute extended clip from its upcoming action thriller “The Equalizer” which may be viewed at http://youtu.be/rg5HCaXlvJ8.

From Antoine Fuqua, director of “Training Day” and “Olympus Has Fallen” comes “The Equalizer” starring Denzel Washington.

In the film, Washington plays McCall, a man who believes he has put his mysterious past behind him to lead a quiet life in peace. But when McCall meets Teri (Chloë Grace Moretz), a young girl under the control of ultra-violent Russian gangsters, he can’t stand idly by – he has to help her. Armed with hidden skills that allow him to serve vengeance against anyone who would brutalize the helpless, McCall comes out of his self-imposed retirement and finds his desire for justice reawakened. If someone has a problem, if the odds are stacked against them, if they have nowhere else to turn, McCall will help. He is The Equalizer.

Based on the television series created by Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim, “The Equalizer” also stars Marton Csokas, Chloë Grace Moretz, David Harbour, with Bill Pullman and Melissa Leo. Film is written by Richard Wenk.

Opening across the Philippines in October 01, “The Equalizer” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.

IMAX Corporation and Sony Pictures Entertainment recently announced that “The Equalizer,” the highly anticipated reteaming of Academy Award® winner Denzel Washington and acclaimed director Antoine Fuqua, will be digitally re-mastered into the immersive IMAX® format and released in IMAX® theatres worldwide, including the Philippines.

Fuqua directed Washington in the critically lauded 2001 box office hit “Training Day,” for which Washington won the Academy Award® for Best Actor.

In “The Equalizer,” Denzel Washington plays McCall, a man who believes he has put his mysterious past behind him and dedicated himself to beginning a new, quiet life. But when McCall meets Teri (Chloe Grace Moretz), a young girl under the control of ultra-violent Russian gangsters, he can't stand idly by – he has to help her. Armed with hidden skills that allow him to serve vengeance against anyone who would brutalize the helpless, McCall comes out of his self-imposed retirement and finds his desire for justice reawakened. If someone has a problem, if the odds are stacked against them, if they have nowhere else to turn, McCall will help. He is The Equalizer.

Based on the television series created by Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim, “The Equalizer” also stars Marton Csokas, Chloë Grace Moretz, David Harbour, with Bill Pullman and Melissa Leo. Film is written by Richard Wenk.

"Antoine Fuqua is one of the most provocative filmmakers working today, and Denzel Washington is nothing short of being one of the greatest American movie stars," said Greg Foster, Senior Executive Vice President, IMAX Corp. and CEO of IMAX Entertainment. "We're excited to be working with our long time partners at Sony Pictures Entertainment to bring this exciting film to IMAX moviegoers worldwide."

Rory Bruer, President, Worldwide Distribution for Sony Pictures, said, "The Equalizer is a visceral action-thriller, and Denzel's character – a man driven by a relentless pursuit of justice – is one that is compelling for everyone. It's the kind of picture that is perfectly suited for The IMAX Experience®."

The IMAX release of The Equalizer will offer consumers the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience® with its proprietary IMAX DMR® (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images, coupled with IMAX's customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio, create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.

Opening across the Philippines in October 01, 2014, “The Equalizer” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.

From Antoine Fuqua, director of “Training Day” and “Olympus Has Fallen” comes Columbia Pictures' new action thriller “The Equalizer” starring Denzel Washington.

In the film, Washington plays McCall, a man who believes he has put his mysterious past behind him to lead a quiet life in peace. But when McCall meets Teri (Chloë Grace Moretz), a young girl under the control of ultra-violent Russian gangsters, he can’t stand idly by – he has to help her. Armed with hidden skills that allow him to serve vengeance against anyone who would brutalize the helpless, McCall comes out of his self-imposed retirement and finds his desire for justice reawakened. If someone has a problem, if the odds are stacked against them, if they have nowhere else to turn, McCall will help. He is The Equalizer.

Based on the television series created by Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim, “The Equalizer” also stars Marton Csokas, Chloë Grace Moretz, David Harbour, with Bill Pullman and Melissa Leo. Film is written by Richard Wenk.

For director Antoine Fuqua – who re-teams with Denzel Washington after directing the actor to his Oscar®-winning performance in “Training Day” – McCall shares some of the archetypical heroic traits that have been passed down. “I saw this movie as a throwback, like the westerns that Sergio Leone made,” he explains. “There’s an antihero, in a struggle, reluctant and ashamed to pick up his gun... but when he gets a chance to help other people, he does. He uses his skills for that.”

The film takes its title from the 1980s television series and shares its central premise – a man, highly trained, who can “equalize” the odds when they are stacked against the helpless. Though the filmmakers took only the premise and title from the original show, Blumenthal says that the premise is one that has only become more relevant. “The word ‘equalizer’ is a very strong, powerful word,” he notes. “A lot of people believe that there’s a lot of imbalance in the world, so the idea of creating a balance – equalizing something – is very meaningful. If anything, I think that title means more now, in 2014, than it did in the 1980s. People can get behind this kind of hero: a man who does heroic acts for the people who need them the most.”

In seeking out a director, Washington was excited to be re-teaming with Fuqua. After their experience together on “Training Day,” Fuqua says, it was clear that “The Equalizer” lent itself to a good match of actor and director. “Part of what I discovered in `Training Day' is that I can read something on the page that sounds like an action piece, and I know that Denzel will see the acting in that – he can take an action beat and create great drama, as if it’s a dialogue scene,” says Fuqua. “He’s unpredictable, in the best way possible – he’s in his world, and you’re a fly on the wall, to capture it, if you can be smart enough to know when to continue in the scene.”

Similarly, Washington felt great confidence in his director. “He’s very talented,” says the actor. “We sent him the material and he responded – we sat down and he had tons of ideas – and it was a done deal.” Later, on set, that confidence paid off. “Antoine had the vision for the film – he was doing close work with specialized cameras, all of that stuff. But I never worried about any of that. The camera is Antoine’s area of expertise – I don’t have to worry about that. I just worry about the acting,” he smiles.

“We had a rhythm and an understanding,” concludes Fuqua. “There were times when we didn’t need to talk; we both knew where each other was going.”

Opening across the Philippines on October 01, 2014, “The Equalizer” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.

Columbia Pictures has just shared the teaser poster for its upcoming gritty crime thriller “The Equalizer” starring Denzel Washington and directed by Antoine Fuqua (“Olympus Has Fallen”).

The film is an adaptation of the 1980s TV show of the same name and stars Washington as a retired intelligence officer who gets embroiled with the Russian mob after displaying an act of kindness towards a young prostitute (Chloe Grace Moretz).

The television series the film is based on centered on Robert McCall, a former government agent who uses his detective skills to give help to the helpless. His credo was essentially, "Got a problem? Need help? Odds against you? Call the Equalizer"--or so read his yellow pages ad.

“The Equalizer” also stars Melissa Leo, Bill Pullman, Haley Bennett, and Marton Cskokas.

Opening across the Philippines in October 2014, “The Equalizer” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.