Denzel Washington Documentary

hi I'm Kelly Dedmon welcome to bio channel and our salute to black culture in the 70s and 80s a black man wasn't considered a box-office draw megastar Julia Roberts lobbied for Denzel Washington to star in the Pelican brief a role originally written for a white man the movies success ended the box office myth Denzel proved that a black man could fill seats with all people all colors next stop superstardom he is on the short list of American actors who command a fee of more than 10 million dollars a picture Andrew Beckett was fired you'll hear two explanations for why he was fired I was and this Denzel Washington is an amazing actor he's an incredibly powerful movie star he's a wonderful actor he really is so very powerful the Academy Award winning actor grew up in a religious family far from Hollywood my father was a minister and we didn't go to movies Denzel credits his mother and his wife with inspiring him to work hard and leading him down the path to stardom we didn't land on Plymouth Rock Plymouth Rock landed on us he had all of this the proper things in place as a child that gave him the courage to kind of launch out into deep water to see if he could make it and he did he's been called one of the sexiest people alive but he prefers to be judged by what he does as a performer rather than how he looks and what he does is Oscar caliber acting he's going to go down in history as this classic American leading man not far from New York City lies the integrated middle-class suburb of Mount Vernon there on December 28 1954 denzel washington jr. was born into a hard-working religious family he was the second of three children denzel's parents worked hard to create a financially secure environment his father worked two jobs during the week leaving hours before the kids woke up on returning after they were asleep on Sundays he was a Pentecostal minister who preached to his church with a passionate flare big personality that's what I remember of him very very articulate big friend very happy big voice his mother Lennis worked as a beautician and own several beauty shops she was a strict but loving mother who sang in the church choir she grew up in the Albemarle church she was a singer very nice lady it's strong sense of family his mother and father they did a good job with their family church and hard work were the hallmarks of denzel's childhood his father only allowed the kids to see movies with biblical themes his neighborhood was just a stone's throw from the mean streets of the Bronx are a few kids went to college and many more ended up and to create a safe haven while they worked the Washington's sent six-year-old Denzel and his brother David to the Boys and Girls Club after school they knew that when he came to the Boys and Girls Club we was gonna get proper supervision discipline and that their whole goal was to teach us to feed not to be you know professional athletes or entertainers but to be good citizens you know to be good moral people the Boys and Girls Club became denzel's home away from home denzel's own father was never on hand to give his son a pat on the back after a game well played he was usually too busy at work or at his church go from the Boys and Girls Club to the playground right upstream called Fort Street and we'd play all day play basketball and have fun and have a good time it would be there out there all night and then after that you know we get tired of playing basketball lights was shut off and then we sit around and have a good time with each other and I think one of the things is that Denzel always had a very unique laughs it was always a good joke teller by the time he was 11 to keep out of mischief and helped the family's finances Denzel joined the workforce with part-time jobs at neighborhood beauty and barber shops as Denzel entered his teens his strong family foundation started to crumble denzel's parents marriage fell apart and they separated his father moved to Virginia although he continued to stay in touch with his son Denzel remained with his mother developing a tight bond but the loss of his father left Denzel confused and he began showing signs that he might join the bad boys that I bruit he rebelled violently getting into fights at school concerned for his future denzel's mother sent him away to the Oakland Academy boarding school to straighten him out it was a prep school made up of mostly rich white kids in upstate New York Denzel was mediocre at academics but he excelled at sports the first time I saw Denzel Washington I thought it was a second coming at Jackie Robinson he was a great athlete he could move we had a good coordination he made a basket to win a basketball game I wanted to take his picture he says you got to take the picture and follow pass the ball to me too that's the kind of a follow you watch there's always a team home Denzel dreamed of becoming a famous sports star but many of his friends thought he might grow up to be a comedian underneath his funny facade was a kid who was actually shy and self-conscious about a gap in his front teeth I had a lot of great sense of humor smile he's very popular everybody loved him and he was a little prankster he'd like to fool around you know joke around but he never did anything wrong during his boarding school years Denzel returned each summer the Mount Vernon to work at the Boys and Girls Club I can remember him around the age of 1415 and he was committed to his job he enjoyed his work and you can see the growth the response accepting the responsibility in 1972 he enrolled at Fordham University in the Bronx not far from home he tried pre-med courses to please his mother who wanted him to be a doctor but he couldn't handle the curriculum and switch to journalism and that too failed to ignite his passion he finally found his true calling when he took part in the theatre production while working at a YMCA summer camp Denzel returned to college aiming for the stars as a college junior in his first acting class Denzel boldly told his classmates that he wanted to be the best actor in the world you know everybody gotta turn you wanna do what you want to be what I don't know it was kind of naive thing to say but that's how I felt I said well you know I'm gonna do acting I just want to be the best and I had come into it really with no background or history and my family or whatever Denzel devoted himself to learning his new craft in his senior year he transferred to Fordham's Theatre Arts wing in Manhattan and studied with professor Robert stone Denzel was passionate about his acting still he had trouble making it to class until his new mentor read him the riot act so finally I wanted was a Enzo I'd marry her talent but you'd get your buns into this class don't cut so frequently otherwise you and I are gonna have to go to the mat and he's the kind of young man who was serious enough Tori took that warning and came to class despite that getting to class may have been a problem showing off his talent and charm was not it was very early he was like a senior in forum and he'd only done one show Emperor Jones and he was so good to work with I would give themselves something that quickly he'd remembered never had to repeat with Denzel Washington you give him a point he's got it for life when he walked into the workshop the girls just went eight they immediately fell in love with Denzel Washington he's always been such a gorgeous City I call him in his senior year Denzel landed the lead in a Fordham production of Othello his performance proved he had enormous talents and it literally changed his life denzel's child to admit her came to see him in a fellow and was stunned to find this young man who had found his vocation the impacting the power of his craft at that time was really quite overwhelming and at that point he knew exactly where he wanted to go and what he wanted to do i told up all the agents i knew at that point he was interviewed by several of them and one of them even signed him up for a television show on the 1977 television movie Wilma was denzel's first professional break it profiled Olympic gold medalist Wilma Rudolph Denzel got the role of Wilma's husband while he was still a senior at Fordham on the set he spotted a pretty young actress all that a Pearson who had a small park they became friends Denzel graduated with a double degree in journalism and drama professor stone pulled more strings and help get Denzel into the prestigious American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco but after only a year he left to test his luck in Hollywood he arrived with just 30 dollars in his pocket and moved in with some relatives while he looked for work [Music] the Urban League found him a job as an acting teacher at a small private school but what he really wanted was to perform Denzel returned home to New York where our money was meager but work was plentiful and black theater companies he began dating the woman he met while filming Wilma pauletta Pearson was an accomplished pianist singer and actress within a year they shared an apartment in Mount Vernon pauletta encouraged Denzel in his acting pursuits and he drew a great deal of strength from her after a successful string of roles Denzel hit a six-month dry spell with no work and no money acting may have fed his creative soul but it didn't pay the rent and Denzel was ready to quit but pauletta helped him make the most important decision of his career bio channel salutes influential black Americans by 1979 Denzel had enjoyed a brief taste of success he was living in his hometown Mount Vernon in an apartment he shared with his girlfriend pauletta Pearson pauletta became a partner in his career she had been a child prodigy since the age of nine she had performed as a concert pianist around the world and now she put her career on hold and worked to support them while he looked for acting jobs it was an uneasy time I seen Denzel he was talking about how rough it was you know he was doing a few plays at the time and he you know he's talking about his struggles of you know trying to make it big and you know in entertainment feel and and he seemed to be a little bit down and I said sometimes when things are not going the way I want them to go I always turn to you know playing basketball and messing around with the kids and so he came down with me to the Boys and Girls Club and we chose teams and we played and and he kind of led out some of those frustrations Denzel was ready to quit acting he got a job at the County Department of Recreation but pauletta would not let him sacrifice his dreams her instincts were on the mark just a week before Denzel was to begin the job he won the role of Malcolm X in an off-broadway production when chickens came home to roost it paid $125 a week Denzel immersed himself in the role he listened to Malcolm X speeches read his books and dyed his hair red he did an enormous amount of research to get in the mannerisms of Malcolm tonality voice quality denzel's portrayal drew favorable reviews and every performance sold out Denzel success as Malcolm X led to another off-broadway role in a soldier's play the critics praised his performance as a hot-headed Army Private Denzel won an Obie the off-broadway equivalent of a Tony Award success build upon success and in 1980 he was offered a role in a comedy film Carbon Copy as the long-lost son of George Segal we didn't know him Lorraine was a lovely person intelligent cultured it's just too much of a shock for me to accept you as her son well if that's too much of a shot for you you're liable to go into a coma when you get behind this hi Daddy Denzel welcome the challenge and the substantial money that a film roll offered you get points today got yourself arrested for me roughed up finally started act like a fatherhood you know so I'll get off your back Denzel soon discovered performing in front of the camera was not as easy as it looked I'm trusting to this leading part I really didn't know much about film acting mr. Charlie has a certain dignity make me still feel like your son bless of your flesh blood of your blood mistake of my mistakes oh you feel different after you adopt me I adopt you I'm 17 it's time I became legal no way no how Hollywood was beginning to take notice of this rising star but the studio had noticed the prominent gap in his front teeth and asked him to get it fixed watch - Denzel surprise they paid for his dental work and there he got his first real taste of star treatment the television producers saw Denzel in carbon copy and the soldiers play and wanted to cast him as dr. Philip Chandler in a new television series st. elsewhere thinking the stage was his true home Denzel almost turned down st. elsewhere but the money was just too good to pass up what do you think about the muta huh coral reefs there's your seas what do you think of mrs. Kilmartin lovely fever peripheral edema her diuretics have been restarted here you order what DC Virgin Islands st. elsewhere broke the mold of serialized television set in an aging hospital with financial woes the ensemble cast and controversial storylines were revolutionary for television although st. elsewhere was never a big ratings success the critics loved it seen elsewhere was a big leap forward in denzel's career not only was he seen by millions of people every week he also worked with a an ensemble company of really good actors he learned the discipline of doing a weekly show he learned to play a lot of different moods what's interesting about life is the surprise by gaining knowledge unraveling DNA do we lose mystery how the sacred still there Jim take off [Applause] creation of life it made for very humble and and and unselfish acting I think because there were so many actors playing the playing leading parts and some days you may some weeks you may have two lines some weeks you may have the entire script so no one's head was built up so big that they you know definitely kept you humble and never forget the day my mother told me she was pregnant you'll need to check periodically to make sure that the cells are dividing properly I was so excited another brother or maybe even a sister she shaded people and you better leave me alone on my big brother will beat you up in 1982 in st. elsewheres first season Denzel and pauletta moved to Los Angeles the success of st. elsewhere ended their financial struggles after four years together the couple married in 1983 and had their first child John David the year later they bought their first million dollar home in an exclusive suburb and soon after the Washington's had a second child daughter Katya although Denzel had settled on the west coast he remained loyal to his friends and family back east in 1983 denzel was given a brief leave from st. elsewhere to act in a film director Norman Jewison had seen him off-broadway and wanted him to reprise his role as the brash young Army private in a soldier's story a film version of the play he felt lucky to get such a quality role when filming on a soldier's story was completed Denzel returned to st. elsewhere the show won 12 Emmys during its six-year run and Denzel was earning $30,000 in episodes his financial success allowed him to be selective in choosing his roles now a recognizable television and film star Denzel found roles with integrity he portrayed an inspiring real-life inner-city teacher in a television movie the George McKenna's story with Lynn Whitfield then in 1986 a once-in-a-lifetime role came denzel's way director Richard Attenborough wanted him to play the South African activists even Biko in the film cry freedom to play Biko he removed the caps on his teeth gained 30 pounds grew a goatee and studied all the material he could find about the real-life freedom fighter the role offered him the incomparable experience of shooting in Tanzania and Zimbabwe in Africa Denzel was disappointed that several of his impassioned speeches were cut from the film but what remained was compelling enough to prompt actor Dustin Hoffman descendants held a note which read simply what grace [Music] the power of his performance earned Denzel his first Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor in 1988 he lost to the more experienced Sean Connery who won for the untouchables it was interesting you know when I went to the to the event to the Oscar night and listening to Sean Connery who won saying the last time he was invited to the party was 30 years ago I guess that meant the last time he was nominated was 30 years ago it's always saying well I hope it's not 30 years before roof while I'm invited back again but it's nice to be a member of that elite club Denzel did earn the n-double-a-cp Image Award for his role the Steven Biko that same year Denzel returned to New York to pursue his dream of acting on Broadway Denzel made his Broadway debut in checkmates the play had a successful run but he soon returned to Hollywood although he was recognized as a premiere actor there just were not many roles for an african-american actor to play so he took a more aggressive approach campaigning for roles in the British film for Queen and country and the lighter film the mighty Quinn where he played a passionate Jamaican he was happy to have found such strong roles but he wasn't pleased about doing the required love scene in the mighty Quinn with Mimi Rogers Denzel reportedly did not want to embarrass himself or his family and he looked so uncomfortable on film that the scene was cut entirely while each project offered Denzel new challenges his greatest reward was yet to come he was about to choose his most significant role to date and win Hollywood's biggest prize they've made history and entertainment sports and culture celebrate black culture with us on bio channel at 33 years of age Denzel had already proven himself on stage on screen and on television he had been nominated for an Oscar and managed to get quality roles despite the scarcity of such roles for african-american actors in Hollywood in 1989 Denzel made a difficult decision to portray his riskiest and most emotional role to date it was a complete departure from the clean-cut intelligent man he had played and the film glory his character was trip a bitter illiterate slave turned soldier I didn't know that blacks even fought in the Civil War I mean the classes I took his American history classes didn't seem to dwell on that it talked about it at all so it was a real lesson for me it was uh it was inspiring it white man give you a couple of stripes next thing you know you holler in order and everybody around like you to master his self Denzel took his family on location with him to Georgia and said it was one of the best experiences he had ever had making a film ran away when I 12 years old I never looked back well what you're doing since then I run for president I win Denzel added a memorable touch to one of the film's most difficult scenes an unrehearsed tear of defiance created a moment that audiences would not soon forget [Music] [Applause] one when he was being equipped basically he talks about it himself as to reaching reaching back to the ancestors to the spirits and I think that's a very appropriate he has some capability to to have gone so deep inside that there is nothing but the truth in his performance you can March like the white man talk like him you can you can learn his songs you can you can even wear suits but you ain't never gonna be nothing in the depth of his performance was rewarded on January 29th 1990 he received the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe winners often go on to win an Oscar and in February a nomination for an Academy Award follow Denzel Washington in glory Denzel returned for the second time for Hollywood's biggest night [Applause] the day of it is it's the greatest party in the world you know what you're there for and and what makes it good you know the media is all there but what makes it really exciting is you had that big you know the bleachers with all the people there so when they scream your name and I mean it's really what Hollywood it's really a Hollywood night and I don't I don't spend too many of those Hollywood night he faced some stiff competition among them film veterans marlon brando martin landau dan Aykroyd and Danny Aiello on March 26 1990 it was no longer a dream Denzel won Hollywood's highest honor thank you I felt very good you know everybody told me I was gonna win which makes it more difficult you know I had dreams about Enid going in the winner is daddy all his night at the Oscars Denzel received another honor for glory his second n-double-a-cp Image Award I said on other occasions that this award was more important than the Academy Award that I didn't get before well I did get one this time and I still say to me this award is much more thank you another exciting event came shortly after all the awards twins Malcolm and Olivia were born and that brought the number of Washington children to four following his Oscar award Denzel experimented with different film roles most of his choices did not turn out well in the comedy heart condition he flexed his newly developed star muscle to tone down the film's racism but the movie was a box-office failure in mo better blues director Spike Lee wrote then sell one of his rare romantic leads the two locked horns when Denzel refused to take his shirt off in an intimate sex scene again he worried that his children might be embarrassed by his work he tried a blockbuster action film ricochet with hopes of propelling his career to a new level the gamble didn't pay off Denzel swore he would never do another action movie he yearned to have more creative involvement in his projects so he took a turn away from big-budget Hollywood films he starred in the romantic art house film Mississippi masala working for 1/4 of his usual salary and he returned to his roots in the theatre with a unique interpretation of Shakespeare's tragic Richard the third unfortunately his performance was panned by the critics undaunted by the bat news he committed himself to continue taking chances even if he occasionally fell on his face a lot of actors have the Oscar go to their heads and they try to repeat the thing that bought them that prominence sometimes they wait around for a year to find the proper vehicle Denzel didn't do that he was a working actor and he took what films he thought were worth while some of them paid off some didn't but at least he was working he kept himself in front of the public and he was learning new york called Denzel home in May of 1991 with his mother at his side Denzel went to his alma mater Fordham University to receive an honorary degree I remember him repeatedly talking about his great affection for his mother she was sitting up in the adjoining box at the at the Avery Fisher Hall and he met us he knew what he owed to her although Denzel had not remained as close to his father Denzel senior had always been proud of his son he was talking about Denzel and he used this term he said he always had act ability 1991 was marked with tragedy denzel's father suffered a stroke it devastated Denzel decieve a strong man he remembered as a young child lying helpless in the Virginia hospital not long after the senior Washington died at the age of 81 sadly his father would never see the film his son was shooting the performance that was inspired by his father's preaching and what many believe is his greatest and most controversial role to date stay tuned as our celebration of black culture continues on bio channel bio channel salutes influential black Americans Denzel Washington had shaped his oscar-winning career not only by the roles he had accepted but also by the roles he'd refused he rejected roles that were too small in platoon and Terminator 2 he passed on the light story of racism and Amos and Andrew and walked away from a million-dollar fee for Love Field opposite Michelle Pfeiffer because he didn't like the script the waiting finally paid off with a roll Denzel gladly accepted Malcolm X telling the story of the controversial black separatist would prove to be the challenge he was looking for an apple hold down here to pacify it they said prostitution down here to pacify the tumultuous production of Malcolm X was plagued with problems and made headlines director Spike Lee faced heated opposition from a Black Muslim group which felt Lee was not qualified to tell Malcolm X's story the film was three hours long and ran over budget Denzel remained focused on his meticulous preparation for the role he added to what he had learned many years earlier for his stage portrayal of Malcolm X it was so fascinating so interesting that it went by so quickly I didn't want it to end it was one the first film I've done that I didn't want for inspiration Denzel drew upon memories of his father's strength behind the pulpit he also trained with the Nation of Islam and he gave up liquor and pork to look like Malcolm Denzel lost twenty pounds had his hair dyed red and straightened and he interviewed Malcolm X's widow and two of his brothers they all talked about Malcolm's great sense of humor I love to laugh there's a very warm caring person I think this really gave Denzel help knowing that you get to bring humanity this betrayal which he did magnificently will you marry me yes what I saved her did you yes I think so the mountain I've been eating Malcolm X earned Denzel his third Oscar nomination in just five years this time he lost the Academy Award well Pacino who one percent of a woman however he did win his fourth and double-a-c-p Image Award for his performance Denzel string of successes brought him under increased media scrutiny in a Barbara Walters special that aired back to back with the 1993 Oscar telecast Denzel made a televised confession he appeared to admit to infidelity by saying temptation is all around and I haven't been perfect the press latched on to that tidbit rumors of his infidelity circulated Denzel criticized the press for making a story out of it for an actor who had an untarnished public image it was an unexpected and rare admission Denzel Washington liked to talk about his career but rarely about his personal life he felt betrayed by the press they don't want to end up with entertainment and society writing something down at the end after all the success you know that he was on drugs or he treated his family wrong or you know things like you know he doesn't want that he wants to be the best actor he can be and he wants to be the best family man he could be and he don't want people to say anything bad about him Denzel tried to ignore the bad press he dedicated himself even more to his career and his family that same year 10 years after they had been married pauletta and then Zell renewed their wedding vows while on a trip to Africa Bishop Desmond Tutu did the honors in 1993 the success of three films diverted the public's attention away from his personal life he sought out roles that would prove he could hold his own at the box office regardless of color in a bit of unusual casting Denzel tried Shakespeare again and kenneth branagh 'he's much ado about nothing he had always campaigned for the roles he wanted but for the Pelican brief it was Julia Roberts who campaigned to get them sell the part of the crusading reporter it was originally written for a white actor but Julia convinced director Alan Pakula that Denzel was right for the part I wouldn't have thought of Denzel but what I'm looking for is the seriousness is a man a weight as a man somebody you can trust that this girl can trust Pakula decided before Denzel signed on that the love scenes of the book were not going to work in the film fueling speculation that it was a racial issue the director said race never had anything to do with it if Hollywood needed to be convinced that Denzel Washington could appeal to a mass audience the Pelican brief offered proof worldwide had grossed nearly two hundred million dollars mr. Beckett his next success was just around the corner mr. Beckett come in it's good to see you again counselor Enoch you yeah how are you without any veins I have AIDS Oh Philadelphia marked the first time a major studio produced a film about AIDS that appealed to a mass audience Denzel volunteered to play the homophobic lawyer who defends a gay aids victim one of our producers was on an airplane with Denzel who said let me read that that sounds interesting and suddenly when I was on the phone with with Denzel in the morning I'm hearing that he would love to play Joe Miller and Tom and the afternoon saying he'd he'd love to play on drew Beckett how many lawyers you go to before you call me nine continue Denzel felt he could not have played the Tom Hanks role because it might have been too embarrassing for his school-aged son John David yet the role he did choose was not easy did you find a lawyer I'm a lawyer Philadelphia was kind of a chance for Denzel it was not a very sympathetic character Tom Hanks won the Oscar Denzel did not but he was a good half of that team that made it such a compelling film the award-winning Philadelphia was a hit grossing more than 200 million dollars in theaters around the world now Denzel wanted more creative control it was time to make a film of his own celebrate black culture with us on bio channel as far as the audience was concerned the devil didn't have enough going for it the film cost 20 million dollars to make but only took in 16 minute it would take more than one failure at this point in his career to break Denzel spirit he was enjoying a great life with his friends and family while Denzel could afford many luxuries he preferred a life of simplicity amid all the splendor he and pauletta enjoyed barbecues at home and going to Laker basketball games and then Zell always made time for his kids even acting as coach for their sports teams he tried to spend as much time as possible at home with his family while still pursuing bigger and bigger films following the hits Pelican brief and Philadelphia Denzel chose another colorblind role playing the second-in-command to gene Hackman in Crimson Tide taking in nearly a hundred million dollars in the theaters Crimson Tide was he hit for his next film Denzel forgot his foul never to do another action film and took on virtuosity to please his son Denzel should have ignored his son's begging virtuosity was a flop like ricochet there was too much running and jumping and not enough acting and again Denzel vowed no more action films Denzel had a more family oriented movie in mind for his next project his Monday Lane productions produced a remake of the 1947 classic the bishops wife and renamed it the preacher's wife Denzel took on Cary Grant's part as an angel and had to do a hard sell to get Whitney Houston to take on the role of the spirited wife he said you know you got to do this film with me I said well you know I don't know you know I'm kind of tired right now he said but no you understand you had to do is fill with me this film is most important and I said well right tell me about it he'd began to tell me about it and all the the essentials and all the elements that went into it and what's going into and stuff and and he said well you know usually when I go seen the gospel Denzel seemed more at home making a movie with family appeal the preacher's wife was more successful than Monday lanes first film venture making 48 million dollars at the box office glory director ed Zwick called Denzel back to the military for courage under fire 20th Century Fox hired Denzel for the highest salary ever paid to an african-american actor for a dramatic role over ten million dollars there are a handful of people who can do what he does when I think back the courage under fire I just think about his generosity as an actor and it's and it set an example for me it's something I'll never forget ever Denzel had become an accomplished producer and a highly paid actor in just a few years his success and professional image drew comparisons over the years to another handsome african-american actor Sidney Poitier Denzel felt the comparisons were racist Denzel was naturally compared to Sidney Poitier he was the first big black star in films they both had a romantic air about them they were both really excellent actors but Denzel wanted to be known as himself with his success came more attention from the press most of which he found off-base and irritating People magazine proclaimed Denzel one of the sexiest people alive always reluctant to be known as a sex symbol Denzel dismissed that notion he claimed that no women lined up at his door when he was a young man and he must have just aged well although he has reached the heights of Hollywood celebrity Denzel has not changed as a person even old friends agree he is basically the same guy who left Mount Vernon I don't think Denzel has changed any I mean he's always been a genuine person he's always been real and caring however even if Denzel has not changed other people have at least in the way they look at him Denzel finds it difficult to go home again it's hard for you to go back you know you go back and you and in the way that I'd like to go back you go back to just try and be a part of the neighborhood and you can't because you know everybody wants a job or everybody's got a script or they're looking at your watch sure one thing or the other and you you want to be yourself but you're not allowed to be yourself in the spring of 1998 Denzel teamed up for the third time with Spike Lee and Lee's tribute to the game of basketball he got game in a critically acclaimed performance Denzel played a convicted criminal a far cry from his usual good guy roles people said you know he's our Prince you know and he is a great responsibility to bear and I think someone I think that has affected his his roles that he's done Denzel felt no constraints about his personal responsibilities he gave of his wealth and his time he reportedly donated two and a half million dollars for a new building at the church he and his family attend he stayed involved with the Boys and Girls Club of America becoming the national spokesman for the organization which had kept him off the streets many years ago whether as an actor a producer or simply as a person Denzel Washington pursued his goals with integrity and a genuine desire to spread goodness he shows us the kind of example that if your family is important God is important the friends are important you know your past is important and he gives us all that legacy those great were things I believe that that's going to be his greatest contribution if he never comes back to Mount Vernon and does anything it's family of role model it's going to live a long time in the eyes of many many people in this city beautiful your beautiful black sails with pride and dignity really can't believe it he's at the absolute top of his game and I tell you without shame that I will be stealing from him for the rest of my career more than two decades of dedication to his craft have earned then Zell Washington accolades and awards he has survived the gossip and the pressures of Hollywood he is free to choose his roles regardless of race not bad for a preacher's son from Mount Vernon Denzel went on to win a second Oscar for training day in 2002 this time it was for leading man don't think Denzel stopping at two Oscars with image Awards honorary degrees and Golden Globes to his credit he recently added director to his job description the film Antwone Fisher has him on both sides of the camera Denzel Washington continues to challenge himself and his audiences by taking on tough roles here's one good guy not afraid to play the bad one

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Views: 526,873

Rating: 4.7553535 out of 5

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Id: MEAmv9S8cp0

Length: 44min 17sec (2657 seconds)

Published: Mon Mar 23 2020