Denzel Washington recently brought a fan to tears after she abruptly approached him while out in New York City.
The woman wanted to chat with the actor about her frustrations regarding the struggle to find acting jobs recently.
In a video that began circulating on social media on March 5, Washington, who was on his way to work, was seen walking towards a side door at the Manhattan-based Ethel Barrymore Theatre, when he was approached by a woman.
“Do you have anything for actors that’s fighting out here to get work? Anything?” she inquired during their encounter on March 4.
The 70-year-old veteran actor seemed to be in a hurry to enter the building, carrying two bags — one in each hand — and did not stop to acknowledge the woman filming the video.
Instead, Washington shouted back at the woman, “Come inside here.” But she didn’t quite hear him so he repeated himself, which caused her to give a happy but shocked reaction.
The unknown woman can be heard saying, “Oh my god,” in a surprised tone. However, right before the video cut to the next clip, she enters the building and Washington asked her to “put the phone down.”
The woman has now been recognized as an aspiring Trinidadian actress. The video cut to another clip of someone else holding her phone as she stands side by side with Washington, both smiling for a picture. However, instead of taking a photo, the person holding the phone is recording.
Washington has his arm around the woman while she looks towards the camera and smiles.
Things became emotional as the woman looks back at the camera, lightly sobbing. Washington gives her a friendly and consoling nudge and asks, “Why you crying, girl?”
Barely getting the words out, the woman responds, “Because” and slowly turns to hug the “American Gangster” star, who responds “I’m regular people just like you.”
Fans responded to the heartfelt video with love for the two-time Oscar winning actor in the comment section of Complex’s repost.
One said, “I’m regular person just like you! I really respect Denzel for saying that!!!”
A second wrote, “I love this man because he move off his spirit and he has compassion on deck.”
A third was disappointed by the video cutting off, wrote, “Well I wanted to hear what advice or pep talk he was gonna give her lol.”
However, many believe others in Hollywood could learn a thing or two from Washington expressing empathy during the interaction with someone who doesn’t know.
“Denzel Washington has always been a “class act”!! I never saw any reports of him putting himself above anyone, no matter what [their] status in life. Hollywood ‘celebrities’ should take note!” added a fourth.
Washington is currently in New York City for his Broadway play “Othello,” in which he co-stars with Jake Gyllenhaal. The production is slated to run through June 8, 2025.
