In 2012, Washington starred in "Flight", for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. He co-starred with Ryan Reynolds in "Safe House", where he prepared for his role by subjecting himself to a torture session that included waterboarding. In 2013, Washington starred in "2 Guns", alongside Mark Wahlberg. In 2014, he starred in "The Equalizer", an action thriller film directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by Richard Wenk, based on the television series of same name starring Edward Woodward. He reprised his role in his first sequel, "The Equalizer 2" (2018).