Denzel Washington recently opened up about how he hopes to be remembered — and it has nothing to do with his Hollywood icon status.
In a sit-down with Spike Lee to discuss their upcoming film Highest 2 Lowest, the director asked him directly about his legacy.
“When we all leave this Earth — and we all will — what do you want to be remembered for?” Lee asked.
Washington took a thoughtful pause before delivering a heartfelt answer. “A man of faith, a man of God, a human who’s made a ton of mistakes,” he said. “A humble man, god-loving, wife-loving, children-loving, who did the best he could with what he had.”
He added, “And I don’t know if it was a quote from Malcolm X. ‘To God be the glory, only the mistakes were mine.’”
The Oscar winner has been especially candid in recent weeks. Earlier this month, he revealed that people have actually been mispronouncing his name for decades.
During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Kimmel noted that there are now several NFL players named Denzel, when there were none back in 1987 before Washington’s first Oscar win.
“I know. There’s a lot of Denzels now,” Washington laughed. “And this is how you know they named themselves after me: Because my name is not pronounced Den-zelle. My name is pronounced Den-zuhl.”
He went on to explain that the proper pronunciation rhymes with “pencil,” but his mother altered it to avoid confusion at home.
“I’m Denzel Jr., and my father’s Denzel Hayes Washington Sr. I’m Denzel Hayes Washington Jr.,” he explained. “My mother would say, ‘Denzel,’ and we’d both show up. So she said, ‘From now on, you’re Den-zelle.’”
