Denzel Washington has spent more than four decades shaping modern cinema. Yet, at 70, the Oscar-winning actor says he no longer watches films—not even his own.
“I don’t watch movies, man. I really don’t,” Washington said during a recent conversation with rapper A$AP Rocky and director Spike Lee for GQ. His remark drew laughter from both men, but he pressed on. “I’m just being honest with you. I don’t go to the movies. I don’t watch movies.”
When Rocky asked if that was because he spends his life making them, Washington replied, “Probably. You know, I’m tired of movies.”
It was a striking admission from one of Hollywood’s most enduring stars. Washington has appeared in nearly 50 films, from Training Day to Malcolm X. Yet, he insists he has never sat through one of his performances from start to finish.
“I haven’t seen any of ’em from top to bottom,” he told Lee. Even his 1990 collaboration with the director, Mo’ Better Blues, has not been revisited. “Yeah, I haven’t seen it since the premiere,” Washington said.
The discussion, part of promotion for Lee’s new film Highest 2 Lowest, offered a rare glimpse of Washington’s private perspective on his craft. Both he and Rocky star in the neo-noir crime thriller, which opens in U.S. cinemas this week before streaming on AppleTV+ next month.
For Washington, working with Lee has become a recurring theme in his career. Highest 2 Lowest marks their fifth collaboration. But when asked by Rocky which project with Lee stood out, the actor shrugged off the idea of favourites. “I don’t have favourites. I always tell people – they say, ‘What’s your favourite movie?’ I say, ‘My next one.’ I’m not interested in the past.”
The conversation also revealed lighter moments. Rocky recalled befriending Washington’s son, actor John David Washington, during the 2018 film Monster. The elder Washington seemed surprised. “So, you and John David are tight?” he asked with a smile, before adding that he had known about the film but not the friendship.
Despite his detachment from cinema as a viewer, Washington shows no sign of slowing as a performer. His upcoming slate includes the Netflix heist drama Here Comes the Flood, where he will appear alongside Robert Pattinson.
For audiences who have grown up watching him, Washington’s reluctance to watch films may come as a shock. But for the actor himself, it seems a natural outcome of a career defined not by nostalgia, but by what comes next.
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