Actor Andre Braugher credits Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman for his decades-long career.

The Homicide: Life on the Street star first hit the big screen 24 years ago, opposite Freeman and Washington, in Glory, and reveals the veteran actors helped him shape his craft.

He says, "I found them to be wonderful, wonderful men, terrific actors and I watched them like hawks. I was 25 when I did that film and I didn't know anything. I didn't know anything about the film world or how to do a film.

"We were doing a scene out in the woods... and the camera operator was complaining that I wasn't hitting my mark and I'm looking around and I said, 'I'm supposed to stand on this every time?' and the camera operator's like, 'Yeah'.

"So Denzel Washington literally gave me an impromptu five-minute lesson on how to hit your mark and in various situations, how really to act for the camera."

Braugher admits the lessons he learned from Washington on the film are still fresh in his mind: "They are still in play.

"I have to say it (Glory) was a formative experience for me, working with Morgan, working with Denzel, because they shared their gifts with me, which I think is the reason I'm still allowed to be here. They saw something in me that they wanted to nurture, which sustained me through my entire career. So I'm happy about that."