Is Denzel Washington Retiring? Here’s What We Know
By Movieguide® Contributor
Denzel Washington’s brilliant acting career might be drawing to a close.
The 69-year-old actor recently announced his plans to retire from Hollywood, but don’t worry, he still plans to wrap up the batch of movies he has in the works.
“For me, it’s about the filmmakers. Especially at this point in my career, I am only interested in working with the best,” he said.
“I don’t know how many more films I’m going to make. Probably not that many,” Washington told Australia’s Today. “I want to do things I haven’t done.”
“I’ve played Othello at 22, I’m about to play Othello at 70. After that I’m playing Hannibal. After that I’ve been talking with Steve McQueen about a film. After that Ryan Coogler’s writing a part for me in the next BLACK PANTHER. 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,” he said.
This isn’t the first time he’s talked about retiring. Earlier this year, he said, “There are very few films left for me to make that I’m interested in, and I have to be inspired by the filmmaker.”
Filmmaker Ridley Scott did inspire Washington, and he’s starring in Scott’s GLADIATOR II.
However, the Academy Award-winning actor added that he was “tremendously inspired” by his most recent director, Ridley Scott. The pair worked together on the upcoming GLADIATOR II.
“He’s engaged. He’s excited about life and his next film. He’s an inspiration,” Washington said. “We should all want to feel like that at 86.”
READ MORE: IS DENZEL WASHINGTON GETTING READY TO LEAVE HIS ACTING CAREER?
Washington began his career in 1977 with the film, WILMA, and was nominated for Oscar-Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in 1987. Since then, the actor has received 88 award wins and 213 nominations throughout his nearly five-decade career.
