For much of the year, damn near every word out of Denzel Washington’s mouth has not only been undeniably quotable, but it’s been quotable to such a degree that the headlines have truly (and rightfully) piled up. This has been especially true amid the continued box office success of Gladiator II, in which the two-time Oscar winner gives a scene-stealing performance as Macrinus.
Speaking with Steven Weintraub for Collider, Washington was asked at the top of the conversation to name his favorite film helmed by the late legend of cinema, Stanley Kubrick. Washington eschewed giving a specific answer, instead offering a reflection on his younger life while pointing out that he didn’t become a regular moviegoer until early adulthood.
“I’m not a movie buff,” Washington said. “No, I’m not a big movie fan. I was in the street when he was making movies. … I’d be the one outside looking to rob you when you came out of a Kubrick movie, okay? So I wasn’t a real film buff. I didn’t start acting until I was 20 years old and didn’t start really going to the movies until I was 22, 23.”
Washington continued, “That’s not true. As a teenager, I went to see movies like Shaft and Super Fly, you know.”
The clip comes from a longer interview initially released back in November, as seen below.
This pairs nicely with the litany of other Denzelian delights we’ve gotten in recent months. In fact, Complex recently urged yours truly to compile a rundown of such moments, resulting in this piece declaring the 2025 Golden Globes nominee’s Gladiator II press run “truly one for the ages.”
Washington's widely celebrated Macrinus performance is competing in the Best Supporting Actor category at next year’s Globes alongside Anora’s Yura Borisov, A Real Pain’s Kieran Culkin, A Complete Unknown’s Edward Norton, The Brutalist’s Guy Pearce, and The Apprentice’s Jeremy Strong.
If Washington ends up clinching the trophy, it'll mark his fourth Globes honor and first since receiving the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2016.
