Denzel Washington Teases Retirement in New Interview "There Are Very Few Films Left for Me to Make That I'm Interested In"
Denzel Washington is one of the greatest actors of our time, having won two Academy Awards and being nominated for eight more.
He has had memorable roles in films like Glory, Malcolm X, Training Day, Philadelphia, Flight, Fences, The Equalizer, The Tragedy of Macbeth, and his upcoming film, Gladiator II.
There have been many more film roles, but these are some of his most impactful, and Washington believes there aren’t many more like them in his career.
During a recent interview with with Empire magazine to promote his part in Ridley Scott’s sequel, Gladiator 2, Washington admitted the upcoming epic was one of the few movies left to make that still interested him. He explained:
“There are very few films left for me to make that I’m interested in, and I have to be inspired by the filmmaker, and I was tremendously inspired by Ridley.”
It helped that Washington had already worked with Scott and had a great experience while making 2007’s American Gangster together. The actor said:
“We had a great go-round the first go-round and here we are. He’s engaged. He’s excited about life and his next film. He’s an inspiration. We should all want to feel like that at 86.”
Scott also feels quite confident about Gladiator 2, separately telling Empire that “It’s the best thing I’ve ever made. One of the best things. I’ve made a few good ’uns.”
The sequel stars Paul Mescal as a grown-up Lucius, the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and the nephew of Commodus, the original film’s antagonist played by Joaquin Phoenix.
The story picks up years later with Lucius now living in the northern African region of Numidia, where he was sent by his mother as a child as it was just outside the reach of the Roman Empire. Events bring Lucius back to Rome as a gladiator, where he makes new enemies and reunites with his mother. Washington plays Macrinus, a wealthy powerbroker in Rome who keeps a stable of gladiators for sport.
Gladiator 2 is set to open in theaters on November 22nd.