Denzel Washington refuses to call himself a ‘Hollywood actor’ — and it weirdly makes sense
It appears that Denzel Washington prefers to be called a theatre actor rather than a movie star! While appearing on a March 23 episode of 'CBS Sunday Morning,' the two-time Academy Award winning actor talked about his role in the new Broadway production of William Shakespeare's 'Othello.' Elsewhere in the interview, Washington also told host Bill Whitaker that he doesn't consider himself a 'Hollywood actor.' According to a report by the New York Post, during the interview, Washington asked, “What’s the definition of a Hollywood actor? Myself, I'm from Mt. Vernon, so I'm a 'Mt. Vernon actor.' I don't know what 'Hollywood' means."
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Washington, well-known for his brilliant performances in blockbuster movies like 'Training Day', 'Cry Freedom', and 'Gladiator' further explained, “Somebody who’s famous on film? A film actor, great success on film? I'm a stage actor who does film; it's not the other way around. I did stage first. I learned how to act on stage, not on film. Movies are a filmmaker's medium. You shoot it, and then you're gone, and they cut together and add music and do all of that. Theater is an actor's medium. The curtain goes up, nobody can help you."
This was not the first time that Washington voiced out his concern about being called a 'big Hollywood star.' During a 2012 interview with The Talks, Washington shared, "Well, I’m not a big Hollywood star. I’m an actor. I’m called a star. That’s not what I am. First of all, I’m a human being; my profession is acting. People give you titles. They say you’re an up-and-coming star, then they say you’re a star, then they say you’re a washed-up star. So I don’t get caught up in what I’m called. My job, my profession, is acting.” Then, Washington was also asked why he resented the title of a 'movie star.' In his response, Washington stated, “I’m a trained actor. What I’m called is whatever someone says, and that’s fine, but I don’t walk around like, ‘Hey! I’m a movie star. Excuse me, can you get my car for me?’ I’m just an entertainer.”
Washington kicked off his acting career by performing in off-Broadway productions before making his acting debut in the 1981 comedy film 'Carbon Copy.' Since then, Washington has also appeared in several films, including 'Glory', 'The Tragedy of Macbeth', 'Remember the Titans', 'Roman J. Israel, Esq.', and 'The Great Debaters among many others. Over the years, Washington has acted in several Broadway revivals, such as William Shakespeare's 'Julius Caesar' (2005), Lorraine Hansberry's play 'A Raisin in the Sun' (2014), and Eugene O'Neill's play 'The Iceman Cometh' (2018).
Now, Washington is getting back to Broadway with the new production of 'Othello,' which also features Jake Gyllenhaal. Speaking about the revival of Shakespeare's classic tragedy, Washington said, "People, you know, they ordinarily think, ‘Oh yeah, it’s about jealousy. And he betrays him.’ No, it’s about two soldiers who trust each other with their lives.” When asked about his experience working with Gyllenhaal, Washington exclaimed, "Seriously. I haven't been this excited about anything I've done as I am about this."