An actor, an icon, and as of 2024, a Pastor en route to emulating his father, his hero, in becoming a church minister. Step forward Denzel Washington.
Denzel Washington’s dedication to faith comes from a place you might not expect. It’s not the fact he was brought up in New York, where are recent study found that three-quarters of the city’s residents identified with a religion.
Nor is his desire to be a follower of Jesus much influenced by his father’s commitment to the church, with the actor suggesting he has always had the freedom to follow his own beliefs and paths.
In reality, the investment the 70-year-old star of Malcolm X, Training Day, Devil in a Blue Dress and Glory has in his Christian faith comes from much the same place as his decision-making for the roles he chooses.
“Flaws”, he says, abruptly but with a husky, friendly, gravelly tone that has enriched hundreds of hours of captivating cinema over the past 44 years since his debut film, Carbon Copy, back in 1981.
“My faith comes from seeking out salvation, forgiveness, and a better path,” he elucidates. “My commitment to God is about admitting faults and trying to be a better person, and for the most part my film roles try to follow those same processes… albeit with a bit more drama and violence!” he laughs.
A glance at the actor’s CV backs up his assertion. Training Day, in particular, is a standout moment for Washington, and won him his second Academy Award – his first was for his portrayal of Private Silas Trip in civil war drama, Glory. The film follows rookie L.A.P.D officer, Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke) who must spend a day on the streets under the wing of Washington’s Detective Alonzo Harris, fighting for his life whilst becoming more and more mired in Harris’ complex web of gangs and guns.
Then more recently there was Flight. In Whip Whittaker, we saw a brilliant portrayal of a miracle-pulling, troubled, alcoholic pilot, and a performance for which Washington was unlucky not to complete his hat-trick of Oscars
Add in Cry Freedom, A Soldier’s Story, Malcolm X, The Hurricane, American Gangster and Man on Fire and the desire to ease the burden of life on his characters is real. And even when the actor went off-piste for his portrayal of Macbeth, in Apple TV’s 2021 portrayal The Tragedy of Macbeth, which earned him a Golden Globe, the role perfectly emphasised how frayed the strands of humanity can become.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’ve played a lot of noble figures in my career as well, but you get tired of being respectable and dignified!” he laughs. “It’s interesting to be able to play flawed characters – that’s where it becomes a puzzle for an actor to solve; you get into the head of someone who’s struggling in life. I love that because that runs directly alongside the values of the church.”
The actor has had his own struggles to contend with. He was 14 when his parents divorced, and was subsequently sent to military school. “I’ve always chosen to make the most of every opportunity, to work hard to be a good man, and lead a good life. I asaw many of my childhood friends doing long stretches in prison having succumbed to the ‘the streets’, and I believe if I had stayed on that same path I wouldn’t have survived.”
These days, Washington is clearly free of the troubles of his childhood, yet a desire to stay loyal, honest and morally clean means he is as devout a Christian as ever. “I read the Bible daily, I try to help people, I try to raise money and awareness,” he says. The latter point is something of an understatement – in 1995 the actor donated $2.5million to help build the West Angeles Church of God in Christ facility in Los Angeles, an extension of the church he has attended for many years. Of course, his humility won’t permit him taking credit for it.
“What the church has given me is many times over what I have given the church, but every day I look to pay a little more back.
“And now, I am looking forward to entering a new chapter,” he says, referencing his recent baptism and granting of a minister’s licence at the Kelly Temple Church of God in Christ, located in Harlem. “For a long time there was something inside me saying I was supposed to preach, and this was a path I should be taking,” he says. “I never felt I could be as dedicated to the church as my father and that was something I really took as the benchmark; but the commitment we give can be different things for different people, and I realise that now.
“I do think I possess an inspirational streak in me like my father had,” he continues. “I know I have the desire and impulse to want to encourage people, make people become better, lift them up when they’re down or have strayed along the wrong path in life. I believe we can all help each other if we want to. I wouldn’t want to go through life saying I didn’t help.”
Washington clearly has it within him to communicate at the highest, most involved level with his flock. Over a decade ago a video of him giving a soaring speech to aspiring actors went viral when, in it, he said, “I pray that you all put your shoes way under the bed at night, so that you gotta get on your knees in the morning to find them. And while you’re down there thank God for grace and mercy and understanding. If you just start thinking of all the things you’ve got to say thank you for, that’s a day. That’s easily a day.”
The truth is, Washington’s life – he lives in Toulaca Lake, a tranquil and upmarket neighbourhood of Los Angeles, with wife of 44 years Pauletta, with whom he has four grown-up children: John David, Katia, and twins Olivia and Malcolm – while geographically close to Hollywood, is a world away from the flashbulbs and press junkets.
“That whole showbiz thing never appealed to me one bit,” he professes. “While many things change with age, my desire to not hang out with other actors has not altered one bit,” he laughs.
“Give me real people – people of kindness, soul and heart, any day.”
Paul Dargan
