Washington
Denzel Washington sets new record after wild year of retirement rumors, fan fights and embracing religion
Throughout the span of Denzel Washington’s illustrious career, the legendary actor has continued to make a major impact in Hollywood.
As the 69-year-old actor received his 11th Golden Globe nomination for his work in “Gladiator II,” he set a new record, becoming the Black actor with the most nominations in the history of the awards show. He was previously tied for the record with legendary actor Sidney Poitier.
Washington has been nominated for best performance by a male actor in a supporting role for his portrayal of Macrinus in the action film.
Meanwhile, Washington has left fans buzzing in 2024 with a number of surprising moves. From teasing his retirement to becoming a minister and everything in between, here’s a look at the Hollywood star’s year of surprises.
‘GLADIATOR II’ STAR DENZEL WASHINGTON HAS AWKWARD ENCOUNTER WITH KING CHARLES
Hollywood actor Denzel Washington made major headlines in 2024 from receiving his 11th Golden Globes nomination to sparking retirement rumors. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images for WarnerMedia)
Washington hinted at his Hollywood exit after wrapping up several movie projects.
In November, the Academy Award-winning actor announced on Australia’s “Today” show that he’s nearing the end of his Hollywood career.
“For me, it’s about the filmmaker, especially at this point in my career,” Washington said.
“I’m only interested in working with the best. I don’t know how many more films I’m gonna make — probably not that many. I want to do things I haven’t done.”
He went on to discuss his upcoming roles, including in Shakespeare’s “Othello” on Broadway. Washington first portrayed the character when he was 22 and has plans to play Othello for the third time in a film adaptation.
Washington hinted at his Hollywood exit after he plans to wrap up several movie projects. (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Washington additionally booked a couple of other projects, including a role as Carthaginian general Hannibal in an upcoming Netflix project, collaborating with director Steve McQueen on a film and having a part in the third “Black Panther” movie.
The actor announced that he’s also going to play the character King Lear in another movie.
“After that, I’m going to retire,” Washington remarked.
While Washington sent his passionate fans into a tailspin with his retirement rumors, he clarified his comments days after the “Today” interview.
“I didn’t say I was going to go into retirement,” he told BuzzFeed. “I said that it has to be a level of interest for me. I’m more interested in getting behind the camera, so that’s about five years out.”
“It’s very difficult. And I may have used the word ‘retire,’ but I look at life in three sections: you learn, you earn, you return. I’m in the return part of life.”
DENZEL WASHINGTON APPEARS TO LASH OUT AT FANS IN HEATED EXCHANGE IN NYC
Washington appeared to have a heated exchange with fans attempting to take his picture and ask for his autograph outside New York City’s Museum of Modern Art. (Getty Images)
Last year, Washington appeared to have a heated exchange with fans attempting to take his picture and ask for his autograph outside New York City’s Museum of Modern Art.
In October, the “Training Day” actor attended a film benefit honoring Samuel L. Jackson.
While Washington arrived in good spirits and paused to take some photos for and with fans, his evening took an awkward turn as he lashed out.
As he was walking in, Washington quickly turned around and approached a group of fans seeking autographs.
In video obtained by Fox News Digital, Washington can be heard saying, “Put this down. I heard you. You talk about showing love … respect me.”
WATCH: DENZEL WASHINGTON APPEARS TO LASH OUT AT FANS IN HEATED EXCHANGE IN NYC
“We always do,” one fan responded.
“I said, ‘I’ll see you when I get out.’ Which part of that don’t y’all understand?” Washington said.
“Or not, or not! We can do it another way. I can do it both ways, y’all,” he added before walking inside.
It’s unclear what led to the exchange.
DENZEL WASHINGTON BECOMES A MINISTER AS HOLLYWOOD ACTOR ADMITS YOU ‘CAN’T TALK’ ABOUT RELIGION IN INDUSTRY
In December, Washington took on a new role in his life as he received his minister’s license. (Rich Fury/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, the Hollywood actor can add ministry to his impressive resumé.
In December, Washington took on a new role in his life as he received his minister’s license.
Washington was baptized by Bishop James Pullings Jr. at the Kelly Temple in New York City.
“It took a while, but I’m finally here … If [God] can do this for me, there’s nothing He can’t do for you,” Washington said, according to a video shared online. “The sky literally is the limit.”
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Esther Renee Burns Pullings, the bishop’s wife, shared photos of the moment on Facebook.
“A beautiful service we had today at The Historic Kelly Temple Church of God in Christ,” she captioned the photos. “We witnessed our Bishop James Pullings Jr. baptizing now Minister Denzel Washington today To God Be The Glory!”
Washington previously admitted you “can’t talk” about religion in the industry.
“When you see me, you see the best I could do with what I’ve been given by my lord and savior,” the “Gladiator II” star wrote for Esquire. “I’m unafraid.”
Denzel Washington has been open about his faith. (Tiziana Fabi )
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“I don’t care what anyone thinks. See, talking about the fear part of it — you can’t talk like that and win Oscars. You can’t talk like that and party. You can’t say that in this town,” Washington added.
“I’m free now. It’s not talked about in this town. It’s not talked about … It’s not fashionable. It’s not sexy. But that doesn’t mean people in Hollywood don’t believe. There’s no such thing called Hollywood anyway. What does that even mean? That, to me, means a street called Hollywood Boulevard,” he wrote.
Washington landed his breakthrough role in the medical drama “St. Elsewhere,” in 1982. He earned multiple nominations for his work on the show and eventually was able to break into film.
Washington is known for films such as “Fences,” “The Book of Eli,” “Cry Freedom” and “Malcom X.”
WATCH: ‘GLADIATOR II’ STAR DENZEL WASHINGTON APPROACHES KING CHARLES IN AWKWARD ENCOUNTER
Washington additionally had a memorable moment with King Charles III during the “Gladiator II” premiere.
In November, King Charles greeted the “Gladiator II” cast at the ODEON Luxe Leicester Square in London.
During the meet and greet, cast members, including Washington, Pedro Pascal and Paul Mescal, along with director Sir Ridley Scott, met King Charles one by one. However, Washington appeared nervous when he met the royal monarch.
“I didn’t know if I was supposed to grab your hand or not,” Washington smiled as he gave Charles a handshake.
Washington had a memorable moment with King Charles III during the “Gladiator II” premiere. (Gareth Cattermole/Eddie Mulholland – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
“I’m just an awful … I’m a lovely man, you’ll see,” Washington said, as he stumbled on his words. “I’m a lovely chap.”
King Charles continued the exchange and said to Washington, “You’ve been in so many films, it’s fantastic.”
Washington graciously replied, “Thank you, thank you.”
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Fox News Digital’s Lauryn Overhultz and Christina Dugan Ramirez contributed to this report.
Hintz scored into an empty net at 19:41 for the 4-1 final.
“Everybody played hard, did the right things, got pucks in deep, especially in the third period when we’re trying to close out a lead,” DeSmith said. “So, I thought top to bottom, first, second and third, we were really good.”
NOTES: The Stars swept the two-game season series (including a 1-0 win Oct. 28 in Dallas) and are 8-1-0 in their past nine games against the Capitals. … Duchene had the secondary assist on Steel’s goal, giving him 900 points (374 goals, 526 assists) in 1,157 NHL games. … Hintz has 11 points (seven goals, four assists) in an eight-game point streak against Washington. He had a game-high 12 shots on goal. … Thompson has lost six of his past seven starts (1-5-1).
WHEELING, W.Va. — Emergency crews are responding to a major incident at the Washington Avenue Bridge, which has collapsed into Wheeling Creek.
Multiple police and firefighter units are on the scene, working swiftly to rescue those injured in the collapse.
Three injured workers have been taken to the hospital. Officials say one is a serious injury and two are non-life threatening.
Access to the area has been closed to facilitate rescue operations.
The bridge was closed in early December for a replacement that was expected to take nearly a year.
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A look back at Washington’s historic flooding
It’s been a few weeks since the historic flooding hit the streets of western Washington, and if you scroll through social media, the shock still seems fresh. While some insist it was a once-in-a-generation disaster, state history tells a different story.
TUKWILA, Wash. – After floodwaters inundated western Washington in December, social media is still filled with disbelief, with many people saying they had never seen flooding like it before.
But local history shows the region has experienced catastrophic flooding, just not within most people’s lifetimes.
A valley under water
What may look like submerged farmland in Skagit or Snohomish counties is actually an aerial view of Tukwila from more than a century ago. Before Boeing, business parks and suburban development, the Kent Valley was a wide floodplain.
In November 1906, much of the valley was underwater, according to city records. In some places, floodwaters reached up to 10 feet, inundating homesteads and entire communities.
“Roads were destroyed, river paths were readjusted,” said Chris Staudinger of Pretty Gritty Tours. “So much of what had been built in these areas got washed away.”
Staudinger has been sharing historical images and records online, drawing comparisons between the December flooding and events from the late 1800s and early 1900s.
“It reminded me so much of what’s happening right now,” he said, adding that the loss then, as now, was largely a loss of property and control rather than life.
When farmers used dynamite
Records show flooding was not the only force reshaping the region’s rivers. In the late 1800s, farmers repeatedly used dynamite in attempts to redirect waterways.
“The White River in particular has always been contentious,” explained Staudinger. “For farmers in that area, multiple different times starting in the 1890s, groups of farmers would get together and blow-up parts of the river to divert its course either up to King County or down to Pierce County.”
Staudinger says at times they used too much dynamite and accidentally sent logs lobbing through the air like missiles.
In one instance, King County farmers destroyed a bluff, permanently diverting the White River into Pierce County. The river no longer flowed toward Elliott Bay, instead emptying into Commencement Bay.
Outraged by this, Pierce County farmers took their grievances to the Washington State Supreme Court. The court ruled the change could not be undone.
When flooding returned, state officials intervened to stop further explosions.
“To prevent anyone from going out and blowing up the naturally occurred log jam, the armed guards were dispatched by the state guard,” said Staudinger. “Everything was already underwater.”
Rivers reengineered — and erased
Over the next century, rivers across the region were dredged, dammed and diverted. Entire waterways changed or disappeared.
“So right where the Renton Airport is now used to be this raging waterway called the Black River,” explained Staudinger. “Connected into the Duwamish. It was a major salmon run. It was a navigable waterway.”
Today, that river has been reduced to what Staudinger described as “the little dry trickle.”
Between 1906 and 1916, the most dramatic changes occurred that played a role in its shrinking. When the Ballard Locks were completed, Lake Washington dropped by nine feet, permanently cutting off its southern flow.
A lesson from December
Despite modern levees and flood-control engineering, December’s storms showed how vulnerable the region remains.
“For me, that’s the takeaway,” remarked Staudinger. “You could do all of this to try and remain in control, but the river’s going to do whatever it wants.”
He warned that history suggests the risk is ongoing.
“You’re always one big storm from it rediscovering its old path,” said Staudinger.
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The Source: Information in this story came from the Tukwila Historical Society, MOHAI, Pretty Gritty Tours, and FOX 13 Seattle reporting and interviews.
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