Denzel Washington, the acclaimed actor who’s starred in everything fromFencestoThe Equalizerand, most recently,Gladiator II, already has two Oscars to his name. But, the actor recently admitted that his biggest Academy Awards loss hit him much harder than he expected. In 1999, Washington played Rubin Carter inThe Hurricane,based on the real-life boxerfalsely accused of murder. Directed by Norman Jewison, Denzel Washington’s performance was incredible and earned him a Best Actor nomination. But it wasn’t meant to be, as he lost out to Kevin Spacey, who won forAmerican Beauty.
Speaking toEsquire, Denzel Washington reflected on the loss and admitted that he had become “bitter” about the entire process of Oscar nominations. “At the Oscars, they called Kevin Spacey’s name forAmerican Beauty. I have a memory of turning around and looking at him, andnobody was standing but the people around him. And everyone else was looking at me,” Washington said. He then admitted that his recollection of the exact moment had become shady and faded, explaining:
“Maybe that’s the way I perceived it. Maybe I felt like everybody was looking at me. Because why would everybody be looking at me? Thinking about it now, I don’t think they were.”
BeforeThe Hurricane, Denzel Washington had also been nominated for his performance inMalcolm Xbut lost the award toAl Pacino forScent of a Woman.The back-to-back losses put the actor in a resentful space. He continued:
“I went through a time then when [my wife] Pauletta would watch all the Oscar movies — I told her, I don’t care about that. Hey: ‘They don’t care about me? I don’t care.' You vote. You watch them. I ain’t watching that.I gave up. I got bitter. My pity party.”
Denzel Washington Could Earn an Oscar for ‘Gladiator II’
Denzel Washington eventually won his first Best Actor Oscar in 2002 forTraining Day. Years before that, he was awarded Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 1990 forGlory. Across his entire career, Washington has been nominated for nine Academy Awards for his performances. 2024 could take that number up to ten.
Gladiator IIhas already been released in European and UK theaters, and the reactions from screenings have been electrifying. Audiences and critics (mostly) agree that Ridley Scott’s long-awaited sequel was worth the wait. Everyone involved (including Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Fred Hechinger, Joseph Quinn, and Connie Nielsen) gives incredible performances, butDenzel Washington is the clear scene stealer.
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As Rome is ruled by joint Emperors Caracalla and Geta (Hechinger and Quinn, respectively), Washington plays Macrinus, a former gladiator-turned-slave-owner who acquires Lucius (Mescal). Macrinus is hungry for power and attempts to worm his way into Rome’s council and sit beside the Emperors. To do so, Washington injects Macrinus with unyielding charisma and charm. The character can quickly jump between disarmingly friendly conversations and thinly veiled threats. As a result, there has already been a lot of buzz about Washington receiving another Academy Award nomination next year.
Gladiator II
