Denzel Washington has indicated that he would rather consider himself a stage performer than a Hollywood actor.
The 70-year-old actor, in an interview on CBS News’ Sunday Morning on March 23, discussed his part with Jake Gyllenhaal in the upcoming Broadway production of Shakespeare’s Othello and why he views himself as a theater performer above all else.
During the interview, Washington answered the question: “What is the definition of a Hollywood actor?
The Man On Fire actor stated that:
Myself, I’m from Mt. Vernon, so I’m a ‘Mt. Vernon actor,'” Washington said, referring to his hometown in New York. “I don’t know what ‘Hollywood’ means.”
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“Somebody who’s famous on film? A film actor with great success on film?”
Washington continued:
Who has won Oscars for his work in movies including 1989’s Glory and 2001’s Training Day.
“I’m a stage actor who does film; it’s not the other way around.”
“I did stage first. I learned how to act on stage, not on film. 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.”
Denzel’s response coincides with the premiere of the new Othello production, which debuted on March 23. He plays the title role, while Gyllenhaal plays the antagonist, Iago.
Othello is making its Broadway debut for the first time in almost four decades.
Actor Christopher Plummer played Iago, Dianne Wiest played Desdemona, and the late actor James Earl Jones played Othello in the final film adaptation, which came out in 1982.
Othello is currently playing at Broadway’s Barrymore Theatre and will drop curtains on Sunday, June 8.
