It might not sound real, but Denzel Washington has been collecting acting credits and building his multi-generational fanbase for almost 50 years. If you know, you know! And just like that, time has flown. Denzel Washington will turn 70 in late December, and whether he’ll be retiring soon has been a trending topic.
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— social girl chellz. (@b0mbchell_) July 10, 2024
This holiday season, let’s really get into this man’s legacy and see how much longer he plans to bless us with his talents.
RELATED: Forty Years In, Denzel Washington Remains Thankful For His Wife Pauletta
Is Denzel Washington Really Retiring?
Despite all the screen gold he’s already given us, the Hollywood icon shook his supporters in early November with retirement talks. In an interview, he implied that he had an exit plan in motion: A few more roles, then peace out! The sentence that had fans riled up was, “After that, I’m gonna retire.” But what he really said was that he wants to be selective and adventurous with role pickings.
“For me, it’s about the filmmaker, especially at this point in my career. I’m only interested in working with the best. I don’t know how many more films I’m going to make. Probably not that many. I want to do things I’ve never done,” Washington told ‘Today’ Australia.
He spoke about his upcoming role ‘Othello’ from Shakespeare on Broadway. He first played the role at 22 and is now doing it again at 70. Washington gave a rundown of his follow-up roles: Hannibal, King Lear, and a role in the third ‘Black Panther,’ which has not been confirmed publicly yet. Though he specified that Ryan Coogler is writing a role just for him! His latest project ‘Gladiator II’ premiered in theaters last week.
Denzel Washington Owns #GladiatorII pic.twitter.com/72J9jauR5g
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Denzel later clarified to Yahoo UK that retirement isn’t happening any time soon. Washington still sees himself on the BIG screen and behind it for the next decade, at least.
“I’ve been blessed to have the August Wilson plays put in my hands [to adapt them into films]; I’ve got seven more to go so I’m not retiring from that,” Washington assures, making his plan for the future clearer by adding: “I am passionate about directing, I’m not retiring from that. If there’s a great director or a great role with a great director I would un-retire. But short of that, my passion is to get these plays done and to get the work that I have in front of me done,” Denzel Washington told the outlet.
Denzel On The Screen
When you mention Denzel Washington, aside from five decades of experience, his resume includes Nine Academy Award nominations. The first one was in 1987 for ‘Cry Freedom.’ His versatility has kept him relevant in roles through the years, from ‘Malcolm X’ to ‘Macbeth’ and ‘Fences.’ He won an Oscar for Best Actor for ‘Training Day’ for Alonzo Harris and Best Supporting Actor’ in ‘Glory’ for Private Silas Trip.
