Denzel Washington Looks Ahead To Retirement After 'Gladiator II'

Setting aside The Mighty Quinn, Denzel Washington is one of the greatest actors of our generation. He has Tony Awards, Golden Globes, Oscars, SAGs, he’s won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in multiple years, the Producers Guild Of America has given him awards, and he was honored with the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019. His career and his impact on Hollywood is nothing short of astounding.

He’s a good sport about red-carpet interviews, too.

@virginradiotoronto No one gives life advice like Denzel Washington He was at #tiff2024 for the international premiere of #ThePianoLesson and stopped the carpet for Daryn & Deepa’s Kid Reporter, Liam @Daryn Jones @Deepa Prashad #DenzelWashington #torontointernationalfilmfestival original sound - VirginRadioToronto

Denzel has been making movies for a long time. And now he’s looking at retirement. In a morning show interview that aired today, he discussed his plans after Gladiator II. They include projects with Steve McQueen (Small Axe, Blitz), a part that’s being written for him in Ryan Coogler’s upcoming Black Panther 3, a film version of Othello (he’s playing the starring role on Broadway next year), and finally a film version of King Lear. And then, retirement. He’s earned it.

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Not a lot of actors get a chance or even deserve a chance, at the storied career that Denzel has had. It’s fitting that he’s going out on King Lear. Most actors I know dream of the opportunity to play Shakespeare’s most famous and most complicated King. He’ll give us one more performance to measure all others against before he leaves the industry in the hands of the next generation of Washingtons, who worked together to bring August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson to the screen earlier this year. It will be streaming on Netflix beginning November 22nd.

Gladiator II opens in theaters in the US on November 22nd.