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Denzel Washington’s legendary career began with his feature film role inCarbon Copyin 1981. However, his breakout role came in six seasons of the medical drama series,St. Elsewhere. He got some interesting roles following his series role. He once revealed that he rejected a comedy film, which could’ve altered the course of his career.
Washington went on to film critically acclaimed roles inCry FreedomandGlory, which would land him Oscar nominations and an Oscar win for the latter.The Equalizeractor’s latest project in development is the sequel to Ridley Scott’s Oscar-winning film,Gladiator.
Denzel Washington Rejected A Comedy Film Which Could’ve Changed His Career Path
Denzel Washingtonwas determined not to get hung up on television roles beforeSt. Elsewherecame his way. He revealed in a 2010 interview with EW that he chose the role because of the multitude of characters in the series. It made it easier for him to act in films while appearing in the six seasons of the series.
He also revealed that his agent convinced him not to doThe Jeffersons, as the show would’ve taken up a considerable amount of his time. He also shared how acting legend Sidney Poitier told him to choose his first few films wisely as they would determine his career.
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Washington shared that he rejected an offer to star in a comedy film that ended up turning into a blessing for him. He shared that the film felt racist to him and he did not find it funny. He waited for six months for the right role after rejecting the film. Eventually, it came in the form of the 1987 filmCry Freedom. Washington shared withEW:
Sidney Poitier told me the first three or four films you make will determine how you’re perceived in this business. Later on, I was offered another comedy, but it wasn’t funny to me — I thought it was quite racist.
I didn’t take it, and I waited about six months and I got Cry Freedom. That movie changed everything. I could have taken that bad comedy and had a totally different career.
Washington played the role of South African activist Steve Biko inCry Freedom. The role brought him his first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. While he didn’t win at the time, his much-deserved recognition came inGlorytwo years later.
Denzel Washington’s Son Talked Him Into Acting InTraining Day
During his interview with EW, he opened up about hisOscar-winning role inTraining Day. Washington played the rogue narcotics officer Detective Alonzo Harris, acting alongsideEthan Hawke. The chilling portrayal of a villain won him the Best Actor Oscar, but Washington was not initially big on taking the dark role.
He shared that it was his son who talked him into doing the film, telling him that he hadn’t done anything like it. Washington revealed that he had earlierturned down another film roledue to its dark premise. He could’ve starred alongside Morgan Freeman in David Fincher’sSe7en, but he felt the film was too“dark and evil”.
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The role eventually went toBrad Pitt. It was only when Washington saw the film that he realized how big an opportunity he had missed by turning down the role. He shared with EW:
My son talked me into doing that movie. He was like, ‘Dad, you’ve never done anything like this.’ I just hadn’t been asked before. The only film that was sort of dark that I’d turned down was Seven. They offered me the Brad Pitt part, but I was like, ‘This is so dark and evil.’ Then when I saw the movie, I was like, ‘Oh, shoot.’
In his illustrious career, Washington has won ten Academy Award nominations, winning it twice forGloryandTraining Day. He also won the Golden Globes twice forGloryandThe Hurricane.
Cry Freedomis now available for streaming on Prime Video, whileTraining Dayis now available for streaming on Tubi.
Hashim Asraff
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3018
Hashim Asraff is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,800 articles published on celebrity culture, comic book movies, and major TV franchises. With a background in Sociology and a keen interest in pop culture, Hashim brings a unique lens to breaking news stories, character deep-dives, film rankings, and fan-driven perspectives.His coverage often includes the MCU, DCU, hit network shows, and celebrity profiles, giving readers a rich blend of entertainment and analysis. A longtime fan of crime and investigative series, Hashim has watched thousands of episodes of NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, Bones, Blue Bloods, and The RookieA passionate storyteller and wordsmith, Hashim has also worked as a ghostwriter and managed multiple social media handles. He brought his writing expertise to FandomWire to also pursue his lifelong love for cinema and television.
