Veteran actor Denzel Washington recently made it known that he no longer does it for the Oscars, and he doesn’t take up roles because of that award.
Washington, 70, expressed his disinterest in the prestigious award during the press tour for his Highest 2 Lowest movie, The Independent reported.
“I don’t do it for Oscars. I don’t care about that kind of stuff,” the Gladiator II star told Jake Hamilton on Jake’s Takes. “I’ve been at this a long time, and there’s time when I won and shouldn’t have won and then didn’t win and should’ve won. Man gives the award. God gives the reward.”
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Washington’s acting career spans almost five decades. During that period, he has earned 10 Oscar nominations and won two. In 1990, he was awarded the Best Supporting Actor for Glory and won Best Actor for Training Day in 2002.
“I’m not that interested in Oscars,” Washington emphasized. “People ask me, ‘Where do I keep it?’ Well, next to the other one. I’m not bragging! Just telling you how I feel about it. On my last day, [Oscars] aren’t going to do me a bit of good.”
Hamilton, on a lighter note, also said: “I don’t think God ever asks, ‘How many Oscars do you have?’”
“He might go, ‘That’s why I gave you an extra week.’ [As] long as he says, ‘Now, get on up here,’ I’m alright,” Washington said.
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Despite Washington’s current stance, he previously admitted that he felt “bitter” after Kevin Spacey won an Oscar over him in 2000. At the time, Washington had earned a nomination for his role in The Hurricane.
“At the Oscars, they called Kevin Spacey’s name for American Beauty,” the Equalizer star said in a 2024 interview with Esquire. “I’m sure I went home and drank that night. I had to,” he added.
“I went through a time then when [my wife] Pauletta would watch all the Oscar movies – I told her, ‘I don’t care about that. Hey, they don’t care about me? I don’t care. You vote. You watch them. I ain’t watching that. I gave up. I got bitter. My pity party.”
Washington was tipped to earn an Oscar nod this year for his role as Macrinus in Gladiator II. But that was not the case, though Washington told The New York Times that he was content with his career following the snub.
“I was sitting there smiling, going: Look at you. On the day you didn’t get a nomination for an Oscar, you’re working on Othello on Broadway,” said Washington. “Are you kidding me? Awww. Oh, I’m so upset,” he continued sarcastically.
Washington added: “I’m happy for all that did, and I’m happy with what I’m doing. 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.”
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