This Actor Is Proud of His Faith and Doesn’t Care What Hollywood Thinks
Movieguide® Contributor
Denzel Washington came to know Christ when he visited an L.A. church in the ’80s — and he’s never regretted it.
“The biggest moment of my life was when I was filled with the Holy Spirit,” the Teddy Bear Award®-winning actor said in an essay for Esquire.
“The minister was preaching, ‘Just let it go,’ Washington recalled in an interview with GQ. “I said, ‘I’m going to go with it.’ And I had this tremendous physical and spiritual experience. It did frighten me. I was slobbering, crying, sweating.”
As a minister’s son, the things he used to recite out of habit suddenly had meaning.
“I know now. God is real. God is love. God is the only way. God is the true way. God blesses.”
“It’s my job to lift God up, to give Him praise, to make sure that anyone and everyone I speak to the rest of my life understands that He is responsible for me,” Washington said. “When you see me, you see the best I could do with what I’ve been given by my Lord and Savior.”
The actor is completely “unafraid” of how others respond to his beliefs.
“I don’t care what anyone thinks. See, talking about the fear part of it — you can’t talk like that and win Oscars. You can’t talk like that and party. You can’t say that in this town,” he said.
READ MORE: DENZEL WASHINGTON REFLECTS ON FAITH AFTER 10 YEARS SOBER: ‘GIVE HIM PRAISE’
“I’m free now. It’s not talked about in this town. It’s not talked about. It’s not talked about,” he repeated.
“It’s not fashionable. It’s not sexy.” He continued, “But that doesn’t mean people in Hollywood don’t believe.”
Washington, who has recently been promoting his latest movie, GLADIATOR II, added that he doesn’t have many “actor friends” other than people he’s known for many years, like Samuel L. Jackson. He also notes that he doesn’t see Hollywood as an institution.
“There’s no such thing called Hollywood anyway. What does that even mean? That to me means a street called Hollywood Boulevard,” he said.
“It’s not like we all meet somewhere and discuss what we believe. So I don’t know how many other actors have faith,” he explained. “I didn’t do no poll. How would I find that out? I mean, there’s no Church Actor Meetings I’ve been to.”
Nine years ago, Washington decided to outwardly reflect his faith.
“Through my work I have spoken to millions of people. In 2015, I said I’m no longer just going to speak through my work,” he shared at the Church Of God In Christ’s (COGIC) annual “We Care” Charities Banquet” in 2015. “I’m going to make a conscious effort to get up and speak about what God has done for me.”
READ MORE: IS DENZEL WASHINGTON RETIRING? HERE’S WHAT WE KNOW
