Denzel Washington rejects claims he’s a “Hollywood actor”
Denzel Washington has snapped back at claims that he’s a “Hollywood actor” and highlighted his stage roots.
Washington is best known for his on-screen performances throughout his career, winning ‘Best Supporting Actor’ at the Oscars for Glory and he was also later awarded ‘Best Leading Actor’ for his performance in Training Day. However, he still views himself primarily as a stage actor.
The Academy Award-winner is currently starring opposite Jake Gyllenhaal in a Broadway adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Othello, a setting that Washington feels at home.
To promote the play, Washington appeared on CBS’ Sunday Mornings and during the conversation, he snapped back at the suggestion of him being characterised as a Hollywood actor, stating, “What’s the definition of a Hollywood actor? Myself, I’m from Mt. Vernon, so I’m a ‘Mt. Vernon actor,'” he remarked of his hometown in New York.
“I don’t know what ‘Hollywood’ means,” Washington added, before giving his own attempt at answering the definition, “Somebody who’s famous on film? A film actor, great success on film?”
Washington then explained: “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.”
He then noted the key difference between acting on stage and on a movie set, which is due to the power being with actors rather than directors, adding, “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. Theatre is an actor’s medium. The curtain goes up, nobody can help you.”
While Washington is currently focused on his Broadway adaptation of Othello, he is planning to return to the world of cinema. Last year, he revealed he hopes to make a film with Steve McQueen and appear in the next Black Panther before performing King Lear ahead of a movie version of Othello before retiring.
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