Legendary actor Denzel Washington has officially set the record straight—he’s not just some “Hollywood actor.” Oh no, dear reader, he is a stage-trained, Shakespeare-quoting, Broadway-conquering thespian who just so happens to casually dominate the silver screen.
At the ripe, seasoned, and still impossibly cool age of 70, Denzel is currently starring in Othello on Broadway. And in a recent interview, he made it crystal clear that his roots are planted firmly in the world of live theater.
“I’m a stage actor who does film,” he declared to CBS’ Sunday Morning, probably while exuding more gravitas than any of us will in our entire lives. “I did stage first. I learned how to act on stage, not on film.”
Translation? While some actors dipped their toes into theater as a quirky side project (cough certain Hollywood A-listers cough), Denzel was out here earning his stripes under the bright lights before he ever set foot on a movie set.
But wait, there’s more! He also shut down the whole Hollywood actor label with the kind of effortless cool that only Denzel could pull off.
“I’m from Mt. Vernon, so I’m a Mt. Vernon actor,” he said. “I don’t know what ‘Hollywood’ means. That’s something—I know it’s a place.”
Oh, you know he said that with a smirk.
He then went on to drop some acting wisdom, explaining the difference between performing on stage versus in front of a camera.
“Movies are a filmmaker’s medium. You shoot it, and then you’re gone. They cut it together, add music, do all of that,” he said, waving off post-production like a mere technicality. “Theater is an actor’s medium. The curtain goes up, and you’re on—and nobody can help you.”
Basically, there are no retakes on Broadway. No “Let’s try that again.” Just pure, unfiltered, high-stakes acting.
For those who may have forgotten, Denzel made his Broadway debut in Checkmates (1988) and later won a Tony Award in 2010 for his performance in Fences. He’s also graced the stage in Julius Caesar, A Raisin in the Sun, and The Iceman Cometh.
So yeah, call him an actor. Call him a legend. Call him King Kong ain’t got nothing on him. Just don’t call him a Hollywood actor.
