If you were to name 10 ‘Hollywood actors’, Denzel Washington would likely make the list.
Though many people associate the two-time Oscar winner with Hollywood, it appears the 70-year-old sees himself differently.
According to Deadline, the Barrymore Theatre’s production of Shakespeare’s Othello has set a new record on Broadway, becoming the highest-grossing play of all time with $2.8 million earned across eight preview performances. This broke the previous record held by the 2023 production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which generated $2.7 million.
In an interview with CBS’ 60 Minutes correspondent Bill Whitaker, Washington discussed the record-breaking Broadway show in which he stars alongside Jake Gyllenhaal.
This isn’t Washington’s first venture into playing Othello. He recounted: “This is a 48-year journey for me, 48 years ago I played Othello at 22 right down the block at Fordham [in the Bronx], at Lincoln Center.
“I go past it every day on my way to rehearsal it’s fascinating to have been too young for the part and some may say now too old – 48 years of experience, so 48 years of pain and pleasure and life, has informed my approach to playing the role.”
His 44-year-old co-star commented: “Life and death is ever-present in every moment of the show, to do it service is a lot of, a lot of hard work and we’re all working very hard to try our best to do that.”
The question of Washington being a ‘Hollywood actor’ arose when Whitaker noted that Broadway is expecting a ‘star-studded season’ with ‘lots of Hollywood actors and producers’ attending its theaters.
Washington responded: “What’s the definition of a Hollywood actor? Myself, I’m from Mount Vernon [New York City] so I’m a Mount Vernon actor, I don’t know what Hollywood means, I know it’s a place.”
The host replied: “I think it’s somebody who’s famous on film – a film actor, great success on film.”
Washington countered: “I’m a stage actor who does film, it’s not the other way around. I did stage first, I learned how to act on stage not on film.
“Movies are filmmakers’ medium – you shoot it and then you’re gone on, and they cut it together and add music and do all of that. Theater is an actor’s medium – the curtain goes up and you’re on, ain’t nobody can help you.”
Washington has discussed his involvement in Othello while promoting Gladiator 2.
In an interview with Today, he revealed his plans before retirement, which include participating in the new Steve McQueen project and an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello.
“I played Othello at 22. I am about to play Othello at 70. After that, I am playing Hannibal. After that, 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’,” he told the outlet.
“After that, I’m going to do the film ‘Othello,’ After that, I’m going to do King Lear. After that, I’m going to retire.”