And Barbra Streisand is one of the greatest pop voices ever. But they are both so over the line with their opinions that, once you hear enough of it, it makes them just unwatchable.
Posted on 03/01/2025 1:07:26 PM PST by CondoleezzaProtege
No sex scenes, no social media, no Hollywood parties…The Oscar winner is about to turn 70 doing what he does best, alternating action flicks with cerebral movies while remaining out of the headlines.
After the infamous Will Smith incident at the 2022 Oscars, Denzel Washington was among the first to come out and support him. “In your biggest wins, be careful, that’s when the devil comes for you,” he told him backstage. Smith said afterward that he knew that if Washington forgave his attitude, Hollywood would forgive him too.
The Malcom X star is a moral benchmark in the industry, and not just for Black actors, because he doesn’t feel that race is the linchpin of his career: …Washington has never consented to race determining the roles he plays. The backbone of his career was not designed for “Black men.” Julia Roberts lobbied to become his co-star in The Pelican Brief (1993), Alan J. Pakula’s political thriller….
Washington, who according to The New York Times is the greatest actor of the 21st century, could have had a very different trajectory without his mother’s intervention. Washington grew up in Mount Vernon, a suburb of New York. His parents, a preacher and a hairdresser, divorced when he was 14 and the teenaged Denzel was left in his mother’s care. When she noticed that her son was keeping bad company rather than attending school, she sent him to a military academy, a decision he considers decisive in his career.
(Excerpt) Read more at english.elpais.com ...
Gary oldman might be better but his movies suck. Very boring.
If your kids want to dissipate your money, unfortunately Denzel left that up to mammy.
Plank and eye.
Yes. And his new character in "Landman" steals every scene. He is my favorite actor.
Because all the good ones have died.
By making out with a guy on film.
Selling your soul for fame works!
He is a really nice man in person. He treated my kid very well when we bothered him for an autograph. Then he called after some black kids, “Stay in school, hear?” which impressed me so much. He did wonderful work for veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars in the 2010s. A really wonderful actor, as well.
I am a great fan of Shakespeare. One of the first films I saw Denzel in was Much Ado About Nothing (1993) directed and acted in by Kenneth Branagh, with an otherwise mostly white Englishmen cast. I had not learned about the cast in advance and was startled seeing a black man in a traditionally European role for the first few seconds; but his acting, diction and accent quickly proved seamless with the rest of the troupe. His usual impeccable performance.
I don't think any one individual can be the "best" in such a field; but certainly both Washington and Thorton are terrific. I loved Billy Bob in roles as varied as Sling Blade, where he convincingly played an “intellectually challenged” man, and Love Actually, where he convincingly played an American president visiting 10 Downing Street.
Ping!
Love Billy Bob in “Landman”, but, politics aside, Tom Hanks is still the most versatile actor in Hollywierd.
Those are not Denzel Washington's kids in the post you are responding to. Those are Will Smith's kids. Denzel has been married to one woman for 42 years. Their four kids are educated, producive individuals:
John David, also an actor and a former football player; Katia, who graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts in 2010; and twins Olivia and Malcolm. Malcolm graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in film studies, and Olivia played a role in Lee Daniels's film The Butler. Malcolm made his directorial debut with The Piano Lesson, with Denzel producing and John David starring in it.
And Barbra Streisand is one of the greatest pop voices ever. But they are both so over the line with their opinions that, once you hear enough of it, it makes them just unwatchable.
Nice, how you can take my comment out of context
Denzel was pretty happy about doing a man to man scene in the new gladiator film.
yes, I would listen to Denzel before the pope yes.
IMHO, Hollywood is a popularity contest. The world has many talented actors. The most successful are simply the ones people like the most. Most of the leading actors play themselves in every role, but people want to see them. Thinking of Clint Eastwood and Keanu Reeves as examples... They have a certain quality that's hard to describe. Many other actors can check off the right boxes in looks and talent but never reach their level of success.
'A Soldier's Story' was the first film I saw Denzel Washington in. It was a great movie, and all the actors were talented. One could argue the others were more talented than Denzel. But he had that special quality that's hard to describe.
With that said, I didn't like that he rushed over to Will Smith, instead of Chris Rock, but I don't have to agree with everything someone does or says. Speaking of Will Smith, the rumors about his behind-the-scenes personality have been around since he played the 'Fresh Prince of Bel Air.' Then, after he hit Rock, Smith's career took a hit. Smith had a quality that people liked - until they stopped liking him.
If by ‘the greatest actor’ you mean the most popular - then I must recuse myself. I rarely agree with the popular consensus about anything. The fact of Jackson Pollock garbage selling for $200 million comes to mind.
For the most part, popular consensus and independent thought are mutually exclusive phenomena.
As for Will Smith, I never much cared for his schtick - before or after his fall from grace.
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