Denzel Washington doesn’t want to be known as a “Hollywood actor”: “I don’t know what that means”

Denzel Washington has stated he does not want to be defined as a “Hollywood actor”, claiming he “doesn’t know what that means”.

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The double Oscar winner is currently starring in Othello on Broadway alongside Jake Gyllenhaal and was interviewed on Sunday Morning in the US on March 30, where he was asked about the distinction between film and stage acting.

“What’s the definition of a Hollywood actor?” he questioned. “Myself, I’m from Mt. Vernon. I’m a Mt. Vernon actor. I don’t know what ‘Hollywood’ means. I know it’s a place.”

When host Bill Whitaker suggested “film actor” might work better than “Hollywood actor”, Washington commented: “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.”

Denzel Washington in ‘Gladiator 2’. CREDIT: Paramount Pictures

In addition to his extensive film career, Washington is a highly celebrated stage actor, earning praise for his involvement in Broadway productions of August Wilson’s Fences in 2010 (he went on to direct and star in a film version in 2016), Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin In The Sun and Eugene O’Neill’s The Iceman Cometh.

Washington’s most recent big screen appearance was in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2, where he received widespread acclaim for his performance but was not nominated for an Oscar. When asked if he felt snubbed, he replied: “Listen, I’ve been around too long. I’ve got – I don’t wanna say other fish to fry, but there’s a reality at this age. The beginning of wisdom is understanding. I’m getting wiser, working on talking less and learning to understand more – and that’s exciting.”

He also recently revealed that Black Panther 3 is in development, with an unspecified role being set aside for Washington himself. The actor will also star in Spike Lee’s upcoming film Highest 2 Lowest, alongside A$AP Rocky and Ice Spice.

Elsewhere, Washington was baptised and received a minister’s licence just days before his 70th birthday in December in Harlem, New York, and he was also awarded with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in the US by the outgoing president Joe Biden in January.