Currently showing in Gladiator 2, where his interpretation is praised, Denzel Washington spoke about the less glorious moments of his rich career. And he knows he's made some (very) bad films.
In theory, Gladiator 2 is a perfect candidate for the Oscars in 2025. In 2001, the first Gladiator won five prestigious awards, including best film and best actor for Russell Crowe, while Ridley Scott was nominated for best director, Joaquin Phoenix for best supporting actor and Hans Zimmer for music.
Nothing is certain for the future, but if there is someone who shoots his highlight is Denzel Washington. And he's a regular since he's already won two Oscars, for Glory in 1990 and Training Day in 2002, in addition to eight other nominations as an actor (Cry Freedom, Malcolm X, Hurricane Carter, Flight, Fences, The Roman J Affair., The Tragedy of Macbeth).
Nothing is certain, and the Oscars remain a popularity contest where nominations and prizes are bought with parties and smiles. But in any case, the promotional tour of Gladiator 2 allows Denzel Washington to talk about his long career, and in particular the moments of which he is least proud.
DENZEL WASHINGTON ET SES DAUBES
This is in an interview with The Sunday Timesin November 2024, that Denzel Washington spoke again about his career choices. And he didn't beat around the bush: he knows that he did a bunch of bad moviesand he knows very well when, and why:
“After Malcolm X, I did some real shit. Go look for yourself, I won't say their names. They're all from the 90s.”
A quick look at the gentleman's filmography is therefore necessary. After his Oscar nomination for Malcolm Xby Spike Lee, Denzel Washington made some of his most famous films, such as Philadelphia (1993), USS Alabama (1995) et Hurricane Carter (1999). He also reunited with Spike Lee for He Got Game (1999).
Who are the best candidates for the “stuff” department then? The Pelican Affair (1993), one of the most forgettable Alan J. Pakulas, with Julia Roberts; programmed to kill (1995) with Russell Crowe; Fireproof (1996) with Meg Ryan; The Pastor's Wife (1997) avec Whitney Houston ; The Witness of Evil (1998) ; Curfew (1998) with Annette Bening and Bruce Willis; or even Bone Collector (1999) with Angelina Jolie.
DENZEL WASHINGTON DE FRIC
But Denzel Washington doesn't regret anything, since he knows why it happened:
“I was winning well. I had responsibilities. In life, we learn, we are rewarded, and we come back – in the sense of giving back. So if you live 90 years, until you are 30 you learn, and between 30 and 60 you are rewarded… So at that time, I was earning well. With a great agent, my career brought me money so the reward arrived, and life arrived too, with bills, four children, a house…”
Difficult to find the actor's salaries in the 90s, but for information: in 2021, Denzel Washington received 40 million dollars for A matter of detailsaccording to Variety.
In any case, the clever Denzel Washington has spared himself from watching his “shit”, since he doesn't watch his films:
“I haven't watched any of my old films from start to finish, not even Malcolm X. All you see is what you did wrong. And also, why would we do that? »
Recently, Denzel Washington took stock of the projects he was preparing: a new adaptation ofOthello ; a film about General Hannibal; Black Panther 3 ; a project with Steve McQueen; High and Low de Spike Lee, un remake d'Between heaven and hell by Akira Kurosawa; and two more films Equalizerapparently. Possible there are still some crap and big salaries in there.
