Denzel Washington is not from “Hollywood”.
The actor isn’t interested in being labeled a “Hollywood actor”—in fact, he doesn’t even think of himself that way.
In a recent interview on CBS News’ Sunday Morning, the legendary performer set the record straight on how he sees his craft, insisting that he’s a theater actor first and foremost.
“What’s the definition of a Hollywood actor? Myself, I’m from Mt. Vernon, so I’m a ‘Mt. Vernon actor,'” Washington quipped, referencing his New York hometown. “I don’t know what ‘Hollywood’ means.”
Washington, who has won Academy Awards for Glory (1989) and Training Day (2001), went on to clarify that his roots are firmly planted on the stage.
“I’m a stage actor who does film; it’s not the other way around,” he explained.
“I did stage first. I learned how to act on stage, not on film.” While he acknowledges the power of cinema, he sees a fundamental difference in how the two mediums operate.
“Movies are a filmmaker’s medium. You shoot it, and then you’re gone, and they cut together and add music and do all of that. Theater is an actor’s medium. The curtain goes up, nobody can help you.”
Washington is currently proving that stage acting is still his first love as he takes on the title role in Broadway’s new production of Othello, alongside Jake Gyllenhaal as Iago.