Denzel Washington had mixed emotions shooting gritty new drama The Equalizer on the mean streets of Boston, Massachusetts, because it was the last place he had a street brawl.

Bad memories came rushing back for the Oscar winner as he toured through some of the roughest blocks in America.

He says, "The last real fight I had was in Boston. My wife was doing a show called All Night Strut and I came up to visit her and security tried to suggest that I was a pimp and she was a prostitute and I couldn't stay in the room! Security came to the door and it was on.

"That was the taste (of Boston), and walking to her show one night being called a n**ger: 'Hey, n**ger, n**ger, n**ger. Hey boy!' I was like, 'Damn!' That was the taste I had in my mouth about Boston."

He adds, "This time I drove around Boston and I drove into the 'Southy' area and then you cross right over into the black area and I'm going, 'Oh now I see' - because all the poor folks are right next to each other and that's always the case. In southwest Boston they were all right there, and they're at the bottom."