JOHN'S GRISHAM ADMIRATION FOR DENZEL WASHINGTON (#NoHomo)

John Grisham wrote The Racketeer with an African-American protagonist and hopes Denzel Washington will play the role in the movie adaptation.
The book The Racketeer is a departure for Grisham in that his protagonist is a black man. Grisham said his fans encouraged the choice. He told CBS News, "Throughout the years I've had some wonderful fans who happen to be black say, 'It'd be cool if there was a black protagonist. Why can't you have a black lawyer or a black hero or heroine or something like that,' and I thought, why not? Let's do it."

He added, "It's no big deal. It's not about race."

Asked if he sees the book being made into a film, Grisham said he does, but that he can't write like a casting agent. "I don't have images of certain actors when I write a book," he said. "That's a diversion. I'm so plugged into the plot. That's why the books work and Hollywood likes them. It's one scene after another, fairly simple writing style with a really tight plot. Again, that's part of the appeal. But, yeah, they will be looked at and this one seems to have generated more movie buzz than the last half dozen."

But will moviegoers eventually see Denzel Washington in "The Racketeer"? Grisham said, "We sent the book to a dozen of our favorite people in Hollywood and there's some great folks out there we met over the years and everybody says that, 'We got to get Denzel.' But nobody has heard from Denzel. And I learned a long time ago, you never get the one you want. You can never get the right actor."

For the full interview, click CBS News interviews John Grisham (watch)