Denzel Washington shares his thoughts on the current political situation in the United States.
The two-time Oscar-winning actor, who stars in Ridley Scott’s new film Gladiator II, was recently asked about the 2024 presidential election, which saw Donald Trump defeat Kamala Harris earlier this month. In an interview with the Sunday Times, editor Jonathan Dean also mentioned a particular line from Gladiator II that he felt was timely given the election: “Empires fall, emperors fall.” He pointed out that.
“You know, it’s very easy to stand outside of America and say this and that,” Washington, 69, responded. “Turn around, you know? Choose your country. Anyone.”
“But listen,” the Training Day actor continued. “It’s all politics. All the promises have been broken. And in the information age, we’re in a situation where it’s better to learn how to use the tools of manipulating people, whether you’re on the left or the right. I’m the first to There was a great line in the movie Carbon Copy (1981): “Power to the people?” Well, there used to be that – it was called the Stone Age. ”
“We are now slaves to information, and we really are. We are all slaves. So this person is crazy, that person is sane, whatever you think about the leader, Even if you have feelings, you should realize that you are being manipulated by both sides,” Washington added. “Yeah. So go to the movies.”
The three-star Equalizer has previously publicly urged people to “open their eyes” and hold elected officials accountable.
In 2017, during Trump’s first term as president, he told The Hollywood Reporter, “I believe that all of our elected officials are under fire when it comes to coming together and working together as Americans.” I think we need to step inside.” . “We need to join them through voting and demand that we work together to find solutions.”
During an interview with The Sunday Times, Washington reflected on his career and admitted that not all of his films were hits.
“After[1992’s]Malcolm X, I made some really crappy stuff. Look them up — I won’t say their names,” Washington said. “They’re all from the 1990s. But I was making money. I had responsibilities.”
The actor declined to say which of his films he considered “clunky,” but his films from that decade included “Crimson Tide,” “Virtue City,” and “Nothing.” These include “Much Ado About It”, “He Got Game”, “Pelican Briefs”, and “Devil in a Blue”. The Dress, The Preacher’s Wife, The Fallen, The Bone Collector, and more.
But Washington said he was more proud of his 2000s projects, including “Remember the Titans” and “Training Day.”
“So, 2000…” he thought. “Well, in life, you learn, you earn, and then you come back to give something back. So if you have 90 years to live, you learn until you are 30, and you earn from 30 to 60. So I was making money at that time. Thanks to a great agent, my career started making money and I started having bills, four kids, and a house.”
