Denzel Washington is busy promoting his upcoming film ‘Gladiator II‘, wherein he stars alongside a stellar cast including Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal. The film would be one of the many acclaimed films that the actor has under his belt. However, despite his talent, the actor has complaints about not having won an Oscar award despite coming so close to it.
He recently spoke about his loss at the 2000 Academy Awards, which included losing to the Best Actor Oscar Kevin Spacey for his role in ‘American Beauty‘. Washington was nominated that year for his role as Rubin Carter in ‘The Hurricane‘, and despite having already won an Oscar for ‘Glory‘, the loss stung even still. Here’s everything he said and how he remembers the experience.
Denzel Washington Narrated His Ordeal Of Losing An Oscar To Kevin Spacey
Denzel Washington recently sat down for an interview with Esquire wherein he narrated his vivid memory about losing the Oscar in 2002. “At the Oscars, they called Kevin Spacey’s name for American Beauty,” Washington said in the interview.
“I have a memory of turning around and looking at him, and nobody was standing but the people around him. And everyone else was looking at me. Not that it was this way. Maybe that’s the way I perceived it. Maybe I felt like everybody was looking at me,” he added. “Because why would everyone be looking at me? Thinking about it now, I don’t think they were,” the actor said.
Washington admitted the loss hurt him badly. “I’m sure I went home and drank that night. I had to,” he said, adding that he didn’t blame Spacey for the outcome. “I don’t want to sound like, ‘Oh, he won my Oscar,’ or anything like that. It wasn’t like that. I pray for him. That’s between him and his maker.”
Denzel Washington Eventually Ended Up Winning Several Oscar Awards
After his defeat to Kevin Spacey, Denzel Washington went through a disillusionment period with the Oscars. “I went through a time then when [my wife] Pauletta [Washington] would watch all the Oscar movies — I told her, I don’t care about that. Hey: ‘They don’t care about me? I don’t care,'” he said. “You vote. You watch them. I ain’t watching that. I gave up. I got bitter. My pity party,” the actor said.
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But Washington’s persistence finally paid off. Two years after the loss of ‘American Beauty‘, he won the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Alonzo in ‘Training Day‘. Looking back at that bitter period, Washington said, “So I’ll tell you, for about fifteen years, from 1999 to 2014 when I put the beverage down, I was bitter.”
And today, after many nominations and several Oscar wins, Washington found solace at peace with himself and his journey, molding his career with his experiences both in the professional and personal arena to leave a great mark in Hollywood.
