Denzel Washington Slams Hollywood Label: “I Don’t Know What ‘Hollywood’ Means”
OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Denzel Washington has built an extraordinary career in film, winning Oscars for Glory and Training Day and becoming one of the most acclaimed actors of his generation. Yet, despite his accolades in Hollywood, Washington still sees himself first and foremost as a theater actor. In a recent interview on CBS News Sunday Morning, the 70-year-old actor explained why he identifies more with the stage than the screen as he takes on the title role in a new Broadway production of Othello.
“I Don’t Know What ‘Hollywood’ Means”
Washington was blunt when asked about the notion of being a “Hollywood actor.” “What’s the definition of a Hollywood actor?” he said, before pointing out his roots. “I’m from Mt. Vernon, so I’m a ‘Mt. Vernon actor.’ I don’t know what ‘Hollywood’ means.”
He went on to explain that he considers himself a stage performer who occasionally does film work, rather than the other way around. “I did stage first. I learned how to act on stage, not on film,” Washington said. “Movies are a filmmaker’s medium. You shoot it, and then you’re gone, and they cut together and add music and do all of that. Theater is an actor’s medium. The curtain goes up, nobody can help you.”
His love for the stage has been a constant throughout his career, and his current return to Broadway in Othello seems to reinforce that connection. The production, which opened on March 23, marks the first Broadway staging of Shakespeare’s tragedy in over four decades. Washington stars as the noble yet tragically flawed Othello, opposite Jake Gyllenhaal as the manipulative Iago. Directed by Tony Award winner Kenny Leon, the show’s limited 15-week run has been met with considerable excitement.
Stepping Into the Shoes of a Legend
Washington’s performance in Othello comes with a sense of history and personal reflection. The last time Othello appeared on Broadway was in 1982, with James Earl Jones in the title role. For Washington, Jones was more than an actor—he was an inspiration. “James Earl Jones was my northern star when I was in college,” Washington recalled. “He was who I wanted to be.”
Despite never seeing Jones’s acclaimed Othello, Washington said that taking on the role now feels like destiny. “I know it wasn’t as good as my 22-year-old interpretation,” he joked about his younger self’s understanding of the part. “But you know, it’s my turn.” Now, with years of life experience, Washington sees the role differently. “I thought I knew everything then. I didn’t really like the part, ‘cause I wasn’t wise enough to understand it. Now I understand it’s really about a bond … He loves not wisely, but too well.”
“The Most Excited I’ve Been This Century”
Washington’s excitement for this production is palpable. “This is the most excited I’ve been this century,” he said. “Seriously. I haven’t been this excited about anything I’ve done as I am about this.” Working alongside Gyllenhaal and under the direction of Leon, he’s rediscovering the immediacy and thrill of live theater.
The production, backed by lead producer Brian Anthony Moreland and co-producers including Kandi Burruss and Todd Tucker, has generated significant buzz. For Washington, it’s not just another role—it’s a homecoming. In stepping back onto the stage, he’s reaffirming his identity as a theater actor, bringing a lifetime of experience to a role he once approached with youthful bravado. Now, he faces it with wisdom, enthusiasm, and a deep respect for the art form that shaped him.
