Denzel Washington. Wouldn't you just love to meet
the woman who married Denzel? Don't you?
[AUDIENCE AGREEING] [APPLAUSE] Well, she's here! Pauletta, come on out
with your cute self. [APPLAUSE] Ooh, Pauletta! Move down and let
her have this chair. - [INAUDIBLE]
- OK. Good.
Miss Pauletta! You guys are [INAUDIBLE]. [LAUGHING] Oh, sweetie. Hey girl, baby girl. Oh, the women go crazy. You know that, Pauletta.
- No, I know. OPRAH WINFREY: You know that.
- But you know what? They've got great taste.
OPRAH WINFREY: That's nice. DENZEL WASHINGTON: [LAUGHING]
[APPLAUSE] OPRAH WINFREY: And so does he! Well, you know, you
were listening to us. Was he considered-- did you
think he was cute back then? I thought he was cute, but I
fell in love with his spirit, really.
OPRAH WINFREY: Really? Yeah.
That I saw first. [APPLAUSE] And then I thought, hm, not
a bad package, you know? OPRAH WINFREY: Not a bad--
[LAUGHING] How long have
y'all been married? We've been together
18, 19, 18 years? 19, 19 years,
something like that. OPRAH WINFREY: Really?
- Been married 13-- I was a baby. How did it happen then? So what did the chemistry,
the whole thing? Where did that happen? PAULETTA WASHINGTON: A mutual
friend of ours, who was also in the film, had given a party. And Denzel and his friends came
at the very end of the party. We spoke again. We were reintroduced. And then the next night,
I attended a play. And I got there late, so I
snuck in and just sat down. I didn't look at
who was around me. And at intermission,
the lights came up, and we were sitting
next to each other. [AUDIENCE AWWING] OPRAH WINFREY: Meant to be! Meant to be, meant to be. [APPLAUSE] Do you remember, though, in his
career when that whole thing-- because when he first
did "Wilma," nobody was going, oh, Denzel!
PAULETTA WASHINGTON: [LAUGHING] No, not at all. OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah, not
with that shot, anyway. Not that shot. OK, so what do you
remember when it all started? Could you feel, in
your own relationship, when that started? All of a sudden you went, whoa. Well, you know, really,
it started when he started-- when he did "Malcolm
X," the first time, at the Henry Street Theater. DENZEL WASHINGTON: Oh,
when I did the play-- OPRAH WINFREY: The play.
- He did the play-- OPRAH WINFREY: I was
gonna say, cause-- Back in-- that was '81.
OPRAH WINFREY: Really? Right.
It started then. I mean, not as many people,
of course, knew about it, because it was theater, and
it was off-off-Broadway. But I could sense there
everybody flocking, the phone was ringing
more, and we'd go out more, and I'd see more people
kinda gravitate that side. OPRAH WINFREY: Aren't
the women bold? PAULETTA WASHINGTON: Oh, very. You know, very.
OPRAH WINFREY: Just rude. But you know, what
are you gonna say? They see something good and-- [LAUGHTER] OPRAH WINFREY: Uh-huh. Yeah, I remember
Maria Shriver told me once that the women were
just, with Arnold, just so-- just bold enough,
like, in her face. Just walk up and just
try to slip their numbers in his pocket or something.
Bold! They don't even try to
slip anymore, they just-- OPRAH WINFREY: They
don't slip anymore? One of the funniest things--
well, it was-- it's funny now. I was pregnant with
our first child. Out to here, I mean, I was
out here with every child. And I'm standing
there thinking I'm looking as cute
as I possibly can, with the ankles
swollen and everything. Then this really thin, cute,
you know, came over and just-- OPRAH WINFREY: I
call them "petitas." Well, OK, the
"petita" came over-- "Petita"! PAULETTA WASHINGTON: --and
totally blocked us, right? And I'm thinking, wait a minute. This is, you know-- OPRAH WINFREY: Our child!
- You know! [LAUGHTER]
OPRAH WINFREY: Uh-huh. Blocked you.
- Blocked me. OPRAH WINFREY: Mm-hm. But that doesn't
bother you, does it? PAULETTA WASHINGTON: No. Because you know why? He's coming home. [LAUGHTER] OPRAH WINFREY: Hello! Hello! Represent! [LAUGHING] OPRAH WINFREY: I love it! I love it.
