Denzel Washington’s career is one that many actors can only aspire to have. With over 50 films to his name and a legacy, his tenure spans over 40 years. However, a recent admission from the award-winning actor has many thinking that his work on the big screen may soon be coming to a close.
Denzel Washington has portrayed a range of complex characters, from a retired black ops commando seeking justice in “The Equalizer” to a detective masterfully negotiating a bank heist hostage situation in Spike Lee’s “Inside Man.”
He also delivered a powerful portrayal of Malcolm X in the Brooklyn native filmmaker’s biopic. Washington’s role as a corrupt cop in “Training Day” earned him an Oscar, and he tugged at heartstrings as a broken sanitation worker who never got to fulfill his dreams in August Wilson’s “Fences.”
Adding to his impressive résumé, Washington has tackled Shakespeare twice on screen, first in “Much Ado About Nothing” and later in “The Tragedy of Macbeth.”
In the action-packed “Safe House,” Washington played a rogue CIA agent on the run, a role that helped the film gross over $208 million globally. Despite that success, his most profitable film remains the 2007 hit “American Gangster,” directed by Ridley Scott, where he portrayed Frank Lucas, a real-life heroin kingpin who dominated Harlem in the 1970s.
In 2024, Washington is reuniting with Scott for the upcoming “Gladiator II,” and while promoting the sequel, he has hinted that this could be one of his final roles, as he feels he has explored nearly every character he’s interested in.
“There are very few films left for me to make that I’m interested in, and I have to be inspired by the filmmaker, and I was tremendously inspired by Ridley,” Washington told Empireonline.com of Gladiator II, set to premiere in November 2024. Reflecting on their collaboration, he added, “We had a great go-round the first go-round [referencing the film “American Gangster”], and here we are.”
When fans heard about this they were not too thrilled and took to the X platform to beg the Hollywood legend to reconsider.
“What do you mean they are a few films left for you to make???? Don’t play like that OG,” one person tweeted.
What do you mean they are a few films left for you to make???? Don't play like that OG https://t.co/XezK815NRt
— V da vibezzz (@VanessaMbarga) August 23, 2024
Another X user said with a broken heart, “Damn, we nearing the end,” while another cried out to God, “Lord I’m not ready for a world without new Denzel movies.”
A fourth comment read, “When Denzel decides to hang it up will be a sad day.”
“Very few films left…. denzel i just added you to The List,” one fan wrote, adding, “don’t do this to me.”
Luckily for fans, in addition to “Gladiator II,” Denzel Washington has two more films in the pipeline. While one untitled project is still in pre-production, fans can look forward to his return to the screen under the direction of Spike Lee, one of his longtime collaborators, in a flick titled, “High and Low.”
Washington recently announced that he and Lee are teaming up for their fifth film together, aiming to recreate the cinematic magic of their previous collaborations. The duo has previously delivered acclaimed films such as “Mo’ Better Blues,” “He Got Game,” and the aforementioned, “Malcolm X” and “Inside Man.”
This highly anticipated project is scheduled for a theatrical release through A24’s distribution channels before eventually streaming on Apple TV+.
This isn’t the first time Washington has considered stepping away from acting. He previously hinted at retirement during an appearance at the American Black Film Festival in Miami Beach in June 2024, suggesting that he may focus more on work behind the scenes.
“The things that are going on for me professionally behind the camera are as important to me now as in front of the camera,” he said to the room of filmmakers and Hollywood hopefuls, Deadline reports.
He added, “I think there’s less and less time I’ll be spending in front of the camera.”
