Is 'Tenet' star John David Washington an athlete? Here's how football shaped his rising acting career
There's a scene in 'Tenet' that sees John David Washington subtly show off his hard-worn physique. The musculature is a constant reminder that he was a star athlete before he swapped careers and announced himself as a bonafide action star. 'BlacKkKlansman' and Christopher Nolan's sci-fi flick has all but catapulted him to fame and has made sure he will be on the radar of top filmmakers across the globe. For children of great achievers, trying to live up to the expectations is a burden, and David was no different.
David's admission of lying about his father's profession is a crystal clear example of how the star kids have it in them to make it big in the field they're destined to succeed. The 36-year-old's journey from football to stardom is well documented. He was signed by the St Louis Rams in 2006 as a free agent. He went to Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, on a football scholarship and was an immediate success setting records for rushing yards.
Talking to Sports Illustrated in 2015, he spoke about picking football for a reason, although acting remained a major ambition. "It was in my heart my whole life, but every kid has their rebel kind of thing, so my rebel, I turned to football, 'cause I always loved it too, but that was my thing," he said. That HBO's 'Ballers' was the perfect launchpad didn't come as a surprise considering the background of his character. He breathed life into Ricky Jerett, a slick NFL player with an insanely competitive attitude.
It was again the perfect fit. Having played the sport, getting into the skin of the character was a cakewalk for David and he followed it up with Spike Lee's 'BlacKkKlansman'. It was a reunion of sorts as David was cast in the director's 1992 film, 'Malcolm X' where he played a Harlem elementary school student. 'BlacKkKlansman' saw him essay the role of a cop who went undercover as a Ku Klux Klan member. The moral of the story— David Washington wanted to be his own man.
'Tenet' might not be what the world expected. However, David was a breakout star purely for playing an actor in what could be called a Bond film with complex physics as the main theme. David now joins the list of actors playing super spy roles to perfection. Not for a minute did he look like he was losing it when he shared screen space with the likes of Michael Caine and Robert Pattinson. Safe to say, David, lived up to the moniker of being "The Protagonist" in the film.
What 'Tenet' has done is to give David a persona of sorts. He could now be your next answer to James Bond, or any espionage films that directors intend on making. The success also gives him a chance to experiment with different roles and genres. Should he fail, there's always the template of making it in films that boast of high-octane action. With his sports background richly supplementing his acting career, it wouldn't be a stretch to imagine David in a sports drama soon.
'Tenet' is running in cinemas and will release on Tuesday, December 15, 2020, on VoD.