Denzel Washington says he sustained his first black eye during a fight scene with Ryan Reynolds, his co-star in the thriller "Safe House."

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Asked at a recent press conference in New York if anyone was hurt while making the action picture, Washington told reporters, "Ryan gave me a black eye."

"There's a scene where I reach over [a car seat] to try to choke him and I have handcuffs on. We were flying around in the car. He wasn't actually driving the car, it was being controlled by somebody else. So, it just happened as I was reaching forward, he was flying back and pow!" the 57-year-old double-Oscar winner recalled.

"And that was my early retirement," quipped Reynolds, who was sitting beside Washington. "I've given Denzel Washington a black eye, I should probably go home.

"That first look you gave me after it happened, I just ...," Reynolds, 35, said to his co-star.

"That was a real look," Washington laughed.

"It felt real," Reynolds replied. "It was weird to feel my face on fire [from embarrassment.]"

"It was strange because I'd never had a black eye in my life, but I can't say that any more," Washington admitted.

"I'm glad I was your first. If it was going to be anyone, it was an apologetic Canadian," Reynolds joked.

In the film, Reynolds plays a CIA agent charged with minding Washington's brilliant, dangerous ex-intelligence officer, who has gone rogue, in a remote location in South Africa. The R-rated movie hit theaters Friday.

Washington's film credits include "Glory,""Malcolm X,""The Hurricane,""Training Day,""Inside Man" and "American Gangster." He won a Tony Award in 2010 for his work in the play "Fences."

Reynolds has starred in the hit movies "The Proposal,""X-Men Origins: Wolverine" and "Green Lantern."