This is a particularly sore point for Denzel Washington, because the veteran actor recognized that 'Michael Clayton' was a great script the first time he saw it. He admitted to GQ magazine that it was the best material he'd been offered in years, but backed away from it because it was a first-time director and so he wasn't sure it would be handled properly. When you've been around the movie industry as long as Washington, it probably pays to be cautious, but this was a call he got wrong.
George Clooney benefited from Washington's error of judgment, took the part, and got an Oscar nomination out of it. Director Tony Gilroy's next success was 'The Bourne Legacy.' Washington was left on the shelf, kicking himself for not taking a chance on an up-and-coming name. We imagine he's just about over it by now.