The Equalizer 3 Cast Guide: Denzel Washington Returns For Final Installment
Denzel Washington plays the titular vigilante in The Equalizer 3 as he is joined by a diverse cast of American, Italian, and Tunisian actors.
By: SHAURYA THAPA
Denzel Washington leads The Equalizer 3 cast, marking his final appearance as vigilante Robert McCall. With Washington reuniting with director Antoine Fuqua, The Equalizer 3 is a high-octane thriller bringing back the franchise’s hyper-violent action and philosophical discourse. As McCall strives to find peace in a quiet Italian town, his attempt at restarting his life gets interrupted by the bosses of the Sicilian Mafia. Washington’s protagonist is forced to revisit his turbulent past as he comes out of retirement to protect his newfound friends.
While Washington obviously returns as the titular protagonist, he is accompanied by a diverse cast that includes several Italian actors and a Tunisian actress. Washington, who has appeared in some of the best Antoine Fuqua movies, including Training Day and the first Equalizer movie, doesn’t just reunite with the action director but also with his Man on Fire co-star Dakota Fanning. The actress had earlier collaborated with the two-time Oscar winner in the 2004 action thriller, which actually shares several similarities with the Equalizer franchise in terms of narrative and themes. This cast reunion is a major reason to create anticipation for the cast of The Equalizer 3.
Denzel Washington As Robert McCall
Denzel Washington leads the cast of The Equalizer 3 as Robert McCall, a vigilante who was once a Marine and later a DIA Intelligence officer. Even though he plans to live out the rest of his life in peace in Southern Italy, violent circumstances force him back into action. Comparable to action heroes like John Wick and Taken’s Bryan Mills, McCall is gifted with numerous survival and combat skills. The Equalizer 3 also reveals that he can take down enemies in just a matter of nine seconds, as he even goes on to time himself.
While he is known for his dramatic roles like Malcolm X in Spike Lee’s eponymous biopic and the rational personal injury lawyer Joe Miller in Philadelphia, Washington has also established himself as an action star with the Equalizer movies and CIA operative-turned-personal bodyguard John W. Creasy in Man on Fire. In fact, Man on Fire ranks among the action-thrillers like The Equalizer. The sequel also marks Washington’s fifth collaboration with Fuqua, having previously appeared in the first two Equalizer movies. He also starred in Fuqua’s Training Day as corrupt cop Alonzo Harris and in the Magnificent Seven remake as sharpshooting ex-U.S. Marshal Sam Chisolm.
Dakota Fanning As Unknown
The story of The Equalizer 3 that is known so far doesn’t reveal many character origins for anyone other than Robert McCall. While Dakota Fanning is revealed in the Equalizer 3 trailer as a possible ally interacting with McCall, her unnamed character remains vague at the moment. Fanning’s involvement in the cast of The Equalizer 3 marks a reunion with Denzel Washington. Breaking out as a child actor, Fanning played the nine-year-old Pita in Man on Fire alongside Washington, who played a revenge-seeking bodyguard tasked with protecting her character. Fanning opened up about working with Washington again after nearly two decades, calling it a “dream come true.”
Fanning’s initial claim to fame was her moving performance as the titular protagonist’s daughter Lucy Dawson in I Am Sam, which earned her a Screen Actors Guild nomination at the mere age of seven. Fanning’s other popular roles as a child actor included Tom Cruise’s on-screen daughter Rachel Ferrier in War of the Worlds, the animal-loving protagonist Fern Arable in Charlotte’s Web, and the inquisitive nine-year-old Caroline Jones in Caroline. She went on to play Manson family member Squeaky Fromme in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, flamboyant celebrity Penelope Stern in Ocean’s 8, and the valiant private detective Sara Howard in the period drama series The Alienist.
David Denman As Unknown
David Denman joined the Equalizer 3 cast in an undisclosed role even though he’s slated to play one of the main characters. The Equalizer 3 marks his second collaboration with Antoine Fuqua, as he earlier appeared in the director’s period action drama Emancipation in the role of the real-life Union Army General William Dwight. Denman’s previous action movie work also includes the war thriller 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, in which he played former U.S. Marine Scout Sniper Dave “Boon” Benton. Denman is also known among fans of The Office as Roy Anderson, the disgruntled ex-fiancé of main character Pam Beesly.
Andrea Scarduzio As Unnamed Villain
Andrea Scarduzio follows in the footsteps of Marton Csokas and Pedro Pascal as the franchise’s newest villain. His character is a Mafioso who incites McCall to seek vengeance. With the trailer describing his unnamed antagonist as McCall’s “equal,” the Italian actor’s character is a ruthless crime lord who will stop at nothing to continue his reign of terror. In addition to being cast in The Equalizer 3, Scarduzio will appear in a role credited as “Word Traveler” in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. He previously played a yacht salesman in The Crown and the artist and Picasso admirer Rozsda in Genius season 2.
Sonia Ben Ammar As Chiara
Tunisian actress, model, and singer Sonia Ben Ammar appears in the cast of The Equalizer 3 as Chaira, a friendly local whose family is threatened by the Mafia. She, along with her husband and daughter, makes McCall feel welcome in Italy, but their eventual troubles prompt him to become their protector. Ammar has appeared on the covers of several magazines like Vanity Fair and helmed the acclaimed extended play Sonia. As an actress, Ammar earned popularity with the 2022 slasher Scream, in which she played Liv McKenzie, a teenager who lives in the fictional town of Woodsboro and has been haunted by a recent murder spree.
The Equalizer 3 Supporting Cast & Characters
Remo Girone as Unknown – The Equalizer 3 cast also includes Italian film and stage artist Remo Girone. His character offers advice to Robert McCall and tells him how notorious the Mafia can be. Girone is otherwise best known for playing racer and entrepreneur Enzo Ferrari in Ford vs. Ferrari and Italian-American mob boss Maso Pescatore in Live By Night.
Eugenio Mastrandrea as Unknown – Another actor representing Italy in the Equalizer 3 cast is Eugenio Mastrandrea, who is best known for starring alongside Zoe Saldaña in the Netflix romantic drama series From Scratch. He played Lino, a Sicilian chef who embarks on a passionate yet tragic romance with aspiring artist Amy as he tries to battle terminal cancer.
Gaia Scodellaro as Unknown – One of McCall’s close friends in Sicily is the character played by Gaia Scodellaro. The Italian actress is known for playing a nun named Sister Celine in the comedy series You, Me and the Apocalypse.
Andrea Dodero as Unknown – Italian actor Andrea Dodero plays one of Scarduzio’s character’s henchmen who attempt to threaten McCall. He previously played the emotionally sensitive drug dealer Mahdi in the crime drama series Blocco 181.
Salvatore Ruocco as Salvatore – On IMDb, Salvatore Ruocco is credited as playing a character that shares the same first name as him. The Italian actor previously played a boxer in the Cannes Grand Prix-winning crime drama Gomorrah and a politician in Pasolini, the biopic of Italian filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini.
Bruno Bilotta as Farmer – The Equalizer 3 cast includes Bruno Bilotta as a farmer. Bilotta’s 2023 included another run-in with the Mafia as he also joined the cast of Mafia Mamma as a pallbearer. Bilotta’s filmography includes The Tourist in which he played a Sniper Chief named Giordani and Spider-Man: Far From Home where he played a mob boss.
Giampiero Rotoli as Young Lieutenant – Giampiero Rotoli is credited as a Lieutenant in the cast of The Equalizer 3. The actor previously played a wartime aviator in the series Catch-22 and a pilgrim in the spiritual drama The Young Messiah.