Denzel Washington speaks out after shouting at photographer during heated exchange at Cannes before skipping event

Denzel Washington has spoken out after he shouted at a photographer during a heated exchange at Cannes Film Festival over the weekend.

In a very public confrontation, Washington appeared to call out a photographer while he was attending the premiere of his movie Highest 2 Lowest at the Cannes Film Festival on May 19.

While walking with co-star A$AP Rocky, Washington was pulled on his suit jacket by one of the photographers. The actor could be seen shouting and pointing his finger at the photographer, as the exchange seemed quite tense.

Shortly after, Washington was notably absent from a press conference – an absence that left many people wondering whether it was because of the heated red carpet interaction.

But apparently, Washington was never planning on attending the press conference, as Monday was the actor's only day off from the Broadway production of Othello.

A representative for Washington has since told the Daily Mail how the actor was 'always scheduled to be in and out of Cannes on Monday'.

The representative added: "The studio and festival were aware weeks ago, ahead of time, that he would not be available for the press conference today due to his work commitment on the play."

Speaking to the Mail Online, lip reader Jeremy Freeman commented on what he believed Washington said to the photographer during the public confrontation.

Turning to the photographers, according to Freeman, Washington appeared to say: “Hey, one - one more time, stop.

“Let me tell you - stop, stop - never put your hands on me again.”

As Washington pointed his finger towards the face of the photographer, the 70-year-old added: "I’m talking to you, stop, all right."

The lip reader went on to say the photographer replied to Washington by saying ‘not allowed’ before laughing and adding: "Yes, yes, yes.”

Freeman went on to explain further what happened as the tensions were not over there.

Denzel Washington has since spoken out (Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)

The photographer appeared to grab Washington and ask ‘can I take a picture?’, according to Freeman.

Washington seemingly tried to keep his temper in check, brushing off the grab and shouting back: "Stop, stop it, stop it. I mean it. Stop, stop it."

Perhaps unsurprisingly, a clip of the interaction quickly went viral on social media, with seemingly everyone having their say.

One person said: “He clearly said 'don’t ever put your hands on me again' and he did it again to provoke him into a moment. YUCK.”

With another said: “I don't get that stuff. These folks are around people all day, every day grabbing at them and asking them for stuff. Not a life I'd ever want, I see stuff like how Denzel reacted and I give him the total pass.”