The Tragic Truth About Denzel Washington
As an actor, director, and producer, Denzel Washington has been a part of some seriously successful movies. From his role in the action series "The Equalizer" and his Oscar-winning performance in "Training Day" to his thoughtful work in "Fences," Washington continually proves that he's one of the greatest actors of his generation. However, his life hasn't always been easy, with Washington facing a multitude of challenges on his road to success.
Washington's entry into the acting world was somewhat unexpected. "I was studying medicine at college, but found out quickly I didn't want to be a doctor, as I wasn't smart enough and I was just bored," he told the Daily Mail. After starting to take some acting classes, Washington realized that he might have a future as a performer. "I thought, 'People are telling me I'm good, so maybe it's something I'm supposed to do. Maybe one day I'll make $650 a week and work on Broadway.' It was never my plan to go to Hollywood."
From his experiences during childhood to the difficulties he faced throughout his career, read on as we examine the tragic truth of Denzel Washington.
His parents divorced when he was 14
Known for a plethora of movies, including his Oscar-winning roles in 1990's "Glory" and 2002's "Training Day," Denzel Washington has had quite the acting career. However, the inimitable actor's childhood was a world away from Hollywood. During an interview with the Daily Mail, Washington opened up about some of the challenges he faced while growing up, including when his parents split up. "My parents got divorced when I was 14, so I was only around my father up until that time, but it was the religious instruction which supported me," he told the publication.
During another interview with Parade, Washington reflected on the relationship between his mom and dad, saying, "My parents were like night and day." He continued, "She's urban, raised in Harlem. My father was just this spirit-filled man until the day he died [in 1991], a country boy raised on a farm in Virginia. They say opposites attract, but my parents only grew apart." The divorce had a huge impact on Washington's youth, and would influence how he felt about his mother and father in later years.
He got into trouble a lot as a teenager
After his parents broke up, Denzel Washington found himself getting into more trouble, which he linked to his tumultuous family life. Speaking to The Washington Post in 1985, Washington explained, "I guess it made me angry." He continued, "I went through a phase where I got into a lot of fights. Working it out, you know." The publication noted that Washington was raised in the middle-class suburban neighborhood of Mount Vernon, New York, where his mother was the main parental figure in his life. "She was very, very tough, a tough disciplinarian," he said. "Even when I was 15 or 16, I had to be home by the time the street lights went on."
Prior to pursuing a career in show business, Washington went through a period of rebellion. "I was a young teenager in the late Sixties; I did what young teenagers in New York City did, hanging around on the streets," he told the Daily Mail. "Some people got caught and ended up spending time in penitentiaries." Luckily, Washington never got into as much trouble as some of his peers did. "I wouldn't have survived in the direction I was going," he told the publication. During the same interview, Washington credited his mother with saving him and setting him on the path to stardom, initially by regularly sending him to summer camps and then to a military academy.
He dealt with loss following his mother's passing
Having credited his mother, Lennis, with setting him on the right path — which would eventually lead him to an acting career — Denzel Washington was understandably devastated by her death. During an interview with "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" in 2021, Washington got candid about his mother's death, revealing that she'd recently died at the age of 97. "A mother is a son's first true love," Washington told Colbert. "A son, especially that first son, is a mother's last true love." The actor became visibly emotional talking about his mom and revealed that he was starting to get choked up.
Washington noted that his mother was a steady presence throughout his life, saying, "She was there for everything, and she went home." The "Fences" star also revealed that he hadn't cried at Lennis' funeral, joking that he'd clearly saved up all of the tears for his interview with Colbert. Washington's emotional reaction while talking about his mother's death shows just how important she was in his life.
Denzel Washington had a strained relationship with his father
While Denzel Washington's mother, Lennis, was a constant presence throughout his life, he had a very different relationship with his father, Denzel Hayes Washington Sr. During an interview with GQ, Washington addressed his connection to his dad, saying, "The things I did, like sports and things, he wasn't really [interested in]." He continued, "Not to say that I didn't love him like a dad. But we didn't play ball, those type of things." Similarly, during his interview with the Daily Mail, the "Courage Under Fire" star said, "My father worked all the time and he preached at weekends. In my generation nobody saw their father. That's how life was."
Washington's father died in 1991 while the actor was filming 1992's "Malcolm X." In his interview with GQ, Washington revealed that he hadn't cried when his father died. "I never did all through the funeral and all that," he told the publication. "There was no connection." Instead, Washington told the interviewer that he was much more like his mother than his father but that his dad was a decent, spiritual man. Ultimately, the actor's relationship with his father was much more distant than the lifelong connection he had with his mom.
He damaged his finger playing college football
Before he started pursuing acting as a serious career, Denzel Washington actually wanted to be a football player. "My son is fulfilling my dream, playing football like I'd always wanted to," he told O, The Oprah Magazine in 2008. Ultimately, John David Washington quit football following a series of injuries and is now an acclaimed actor just like his dad. Revealing that he was pleased John David had made the switch from sports to acting, Denzel told People, "He's had I don't know how many concussions, a broken collar bone, a torn up knee and Achilles [tendon] ... No, I'm glad it's over."
While Denzel may have wanted to pursue a football career in his youth, a serious injury made him think twice. During an interview on "The Graham Norton Show," Denzel revealed that he injured his pinkie finger on so many occasions that it became seriously dislocated. Noting that surgery had now fixed the once prominent problem, Denzel joked, "But it's like a gummy bear in there." Perhaps we should thank Denzel's dislocated finger for contributing to his decision to switch gears and pursue acting instead of football.
Walking around NYC after 9/11 changed his life
Having been born in Mount Vernon, New York on December 28, 1954, Denzel Washington is a born and bred New Yorker. As a result, the events of 9/11 had a profound effect on the Oscar winner. During an interview with the Daily Mail, Washington explained, "I'm from New York, I was at Ground Zero and it changed my life." He continued, "I'm a native New Yorker to the day I die. I had to be there. I was stunned. I was as close as I am to you now looking down in the hole days after it happened." Being at the site so soon after the tragedy happened was unforgettable for Washington, who recalled what he heard and saw. "For everyone involved it was traumatic," he explained. "I saw people just sitting there exhausted because the guys had worked two or three days straight. In fact, the guy who was walking me around had lost his voice just from tension and from the dust."
Washington also revealed that passersby still asked him to take photos with them despite being at the site of 9/11. While the actor initially denied the requests, someone told him he should agree as his presence was actually helping people.
He's faced racism throughout his career
Throughout his career, Denzel Washington has dealt with prejudice. In fact, when he was just starting out, Washington was unhappy with one particular role that he was offered and feared that it could ruin the trajectory of his career. Speaking to Times Talk (via Madame Noire), he explained, "I got a part in a movie in 1986. [The character] raped a white woman; they tried to electrocute him but it didn't work and he became a cult hero. Then they tried to hang him." Understandably, Washington was concerned about the film's portrayal of a Black character, and he made his thoughts clear despite being offered a large salary to play the role. "I called Sidney [Poitier] and told him, 'Man, they are offering me $600,000 ...' And he told me, '... the first, two, three or four films you do in this business will dictate how you are perceived.'" Ultimately, he turned down the part, following his intuition that it was wrong.
During a 2016 interview with CBS News, Washington also addressed the lack of diversity at the Academy Awards, calling the Oscars unfair. "I've lived it," he explained. "I've been the guy at the Oscars without my name being called ... when my name is called ... when everybody thought they was going to call my name and they didn't." Despite the inequality, Washington encourages performers not to quit.
He experienced loss following the death of Chadwick Boseman
Denzel Washington's connection to the late Chadwick Boseman was almost unbelievable. When Boseman was studying theater under Phylicia Rashad at Howard University, he was accepted into the British Academy of Dramatic Acting in Oxford for a summer acting program. Rashad reached out to Washington, who was a personal friend, and asked if he'd be willing to pay for the tuition of some of her students who otherwise wouldn't be able to attend. He agreed, willingly supporting Boseman's career from the very start.
On August 28, 2020, Boseman died from cancer at the age of 43. The beloved "Black Panther" star kept the status of his health a secret, meaning that many people were shocked to find out the news of his death. During an interview with "CBS Sunday Morning," Washington reflected on Boseman filming "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" while living with cancer, saying, "Credit to him. He kept it to himself. It was nobody's business. He was there to deliver and he delivered." While Boseman starred in the film, Washington acted as a producer, bringing them together in a full circle moment. "Who knew he didn't have much life left?" Washington said at an "In Conversation With..." virtual panel at the Toronto International Film Festival (via Entertainment Tonight) in September 2020. "But he didn't get cheated. We did." He continued, "I pray for his poor wife and his family, they got cheated. But he lived a full life."
Denzel Washington allegedly once had professionals help him detox
In 2014, TMZ reported that Denzel Washington had spent two weeks at a detox facility in Orange County, California, following a month of excessive drinking that allegedly occurred during a family vacation on a yacht. Sources subsequently told the publication that Washington was detoxing from toxins as well as alcohol and had the assistance of a chef, a trainer, and a nutritionist at the Orange County facility.
However, Washington's publicist later disputed reports that the actor had been detoxing after partying too hard. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Washington's publicist said, "He does this health cleanse every time he's about to go back to work and start his conditioning and nutritional program." He continued, "Always cleans up after the family vacation in prep for work. Nothing new." It's unclear whether Washington was simply getting back in shape for his next role or actually attempting to detox from alcohol, but either way, his stay at the facility made headlines.
He has a fear of heights
Denzel Washington's achievements in the entertainment industry speak for themselves, but the actor isn't as confident when it comes to standing on top of tall buildings. During his interview with the Daily Mail, Washington revealed that he'd started to experience vertigo as he had gotten older. "When I was younger I was never afraid of heights, but I've developed a fear," he told the publication. "If I go out on a balcony I'll get queasy. Flying on planes doesn't bother me, but when the space is open and I can feel the air, it's really hard."
Washington's fear is particularly bad when he's filming scenes that require him to be up high, especially when he might come into contact with other people. "What bothers me most is people walking around me — maybe the fear of someone coming behind you and pushing you," he told the Daily Mail. "So when I'm on the set with the crew and they're getting the scene ready, I'll tell them to finish their work and then I'll come up and do my job." Luckily, it sounds as though Washington has found some methods for dealing with his vertigo, particularly while he's working, but it can't be easy, especially when he's filming action movies like "The Equalizer 3."