Acting yes, watching no.
Dedicating your life to a medium is usually taken as a sign of appreciation of the craft – but what if, someday, you grow tired of it all?
This may be what happened to US-American movie actor, director, and producer Denzel Washington. While he received multiple awards for his work, even being considered someone who has never starred in a bad movie, he now confirmed in a conversation for GQ that he apparently doesn't watch any of them himself.
Disowning The Industry
The GQ video "Denzel Washington, A$AP Rocky & Spike Lee Have an Epic Conversation" was meant to advertise the latest movie the trio star in; namely the crime thriller Highest 2 Lowest, which hit theaters on August 15, 2025.
However, when the topic of miscellaneous movie consumption came up, the 70-year-old revealed:
"I don't watch movies, man. I really don't."
He then went on to claim that he has never even fully watched any of his own movies; a list that would include works like Glory (1989), Malcom X (1992), Crimson Tide (1995), Gladiator II (2024), Inside Man (2006) and countless others. Washington is also set to be part of the cast of the in-development Black Panther 3.
Despite having influenced other actors like Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx and Will Smith, who – even if not completely free of controversy – are still among Hollywood's darlings, this is not the first time Washington has distanced himself from the movie industry: For example, he previously insisted that he saw himself as more of a stage actor than a Hollywood star.
When asked to elaborate on his stance by A$AP Rocky, Washington simply said:
"You know, I’m tired of movies."
But what do you think? Would you interpret something like this as an expression of hypocrisy? Or does it just underscore Washington's artistic intent? Let us know in the comments below!