Denzel Washington, whose endless supply of quotes and stories created plenty of Gladiator II buzz last year, is now getting tons of love online for what appears to be a recent encounter with a young actress chasing her dreams.
The viral video, which has been spreading recently without any source info or background details, shows a woman walking behind Washington, who’s carrying several bags while entering what seems to be a theater somewhere in NYC. Though the clip cuts off some of the woman’s words, you can hear her mentioning “actors that are fighting out here to get work,” prompting Washington to invite her to “come inside,” with just one condition: “Put the phone down.”
The footage then jumps to the two standing together, with the woman apparently explaining her Trinidadian heritage.
“Trinidadian!” Washington exclaims before noticing her emotional reaction to meeting him. “Why you crying, girl? I’m regular people just like you.”
Frustratingly, thanks to the increasingly annoying trend of videos being shared without proper context, creating an endless loop of uncredited content limbo, no additional details about the Washington footage were readily available.
If you’re hunting for acting wisdom, Washington has shared thoughts about his relationship with the craft before. During a 2018 TimesTalks Festival conversation, he referenced the late American Conservatory Theater founder William Ball when asked about what he considers his “greatest failure.” For Washington, taking big artistic risks matters most, regardless of how things turn out.
“[Ball] talked about failing big and I like that idea as an artist,” Washington said at the time. “I’ve had some failures in front of a lot of people but I didn’t mind that because you grow from that.”
More recently, during the Gladiator II promotional tour in late 2024, Washington was caught on video explaining that the secret to improving your acting skills is to get experience performing on stage.
Washington is now starring with Jake Gyllenhaal in a fresh Broadway production of Shakespeare’s classic Othello. Later this year, he’ll appear in Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest, headlining a cast that also features ASAP Rocky and Ilfenesh Hadera.
