Katie Couric says awkward Denzel Washington interview in 2004 left her shaken: 'It was weirdly uncalled for'
Celebrity interviewer Katie Couric has had her share of awkward and difficult interviews with acclaimed Hollywood names. In this week's 'Everything Iconic with Danny Pellegrino' podcast, Couric revealed that she was left "feeling kind of shaken" after her TV interview with Denzel Washington in 2004.
The former NBC anchor, Couric, 63 had interviewed Washington along with director Jonathan Demme and actress Meryl Streep on their remake of the 'The Manchurian Candidate' for a piece she was doing for Dateline. The movie, 'The Manchurian Candidate' is a political and psychological thriller showcasing a man in congress running for a high position but is controlled by a global corporation.
The interview with the trio took a steep turn when Couric asked Washington if he agreed that "Hollywood folks should stick to acting" to which Washington replied, "I don’t know what Hollywood folks are, first of all. Hollywood is a town that has some stars on the sidewalk. I don’t know anybody from there... I’m not a Hollywood folk. I don’t know who they are."
It got even more awkward when Couric tried to rephrase her question saying, "Are you one of those people that..." at which she was then interrupted by Washington who said, "Ah, there you go. Am I one of those people? Hmmm, isn’t that interesting? Am I one of those people?’ No, I’m not." Couric had tried once more to alleviate the situation saying, "No, are you an actor who would rather not..." and she was interrupted yet again by Washington who said, "No, I’m not that either,' Washington interjected. 'I’m a human being. My job is acting."
Couric spoke of the incident on the podcast, saying, "He's one of my favorite actors, but I remember walking out feeling kind of shaken that he had gone after me in a way that was completely weirdly uncalled for. I just remember leaving it and thinking, "I don’t think I said anything wrong… I don’t know what happened. Anyway, I think he must have been having a really bad day, because he later wrote a big check to my colon cancer organization, which I thought was super sweet."
