Denzel Washington Clarifies His Statement About Retiring 

PARIS, FRANCE – NOVEMBER 10: Denzel Washington attends the “Gladiator II” Premiere at Pathe Palace on November 10, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)

Denzel Washington is not retiring just yet.

In an interview with BuzzFeed on Wednesday (Nov.13), Washington clarified what he meant by his statement that stunned his fans.

“I didn’t say I was going to go into retirement. I said that it has to be a level of interest for me. I’m more interested in getting behind the camera, so that’s about five years out,” Washington said.

“It’s very difficult. And I may have used the word retire, but I look at life in three sections: you learn, you earn, you return. I’m in the return part of life,” he continued.

Washington said that he came to this conclusion after going on a three-week press tour with his sons and daughter to promote the film adaptation of The Piano Lesson. He said that the new generation is “taking over.”

“I’m not retiring,” the two-time Oscar winner noted. “It’s not like on June 5, that’s it. But to think that I’m going to run as far as they are or as far as you are, I’d be a fool.”

“I think that’s the ego that thinks, ‘Oh yeah, I can do it.’ No, you can’t. Your stuntman is doing it now,” he went on. “I’m less interested in running and jumping. Let Paul [Mescal] and John David [Washington] jump now.”

During an appearance on Australia’s “Today” while promoting Gladiator II, the Oscar winner, spoke about his last films before his retirement. 

He also noted that director Ryan Coogler is writing him a role in the third Black Panther film. 

“For me, it’s about the filmmakers. Especially at this point in my career, I am only interested in working with the best,” Washington said. “I don’t know how many more films I’m going to make. It’s probably not that many. I want to do things I haven’t done.”

“I played Othello at 22 and I am about to play Othello at 70,” he continued. “After that, I am playing Hannibal. I’ve been talking to Steve McQueen about a film. After that, Ryan Coogler is writing a part for me in the next ‘Black Panther.’ Then I’m going to do the film ‘Othello,’ After that, I’m going to do King Lear. After that, I’m going to retire.”

Gladiator II premieres in theaters on November 22.


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