According to recent reports, actor Denzel Washington may be taking a step back from his acting career to pursue different roles in the entertainment industry. The actor, known for his star roles in films such as The Equalizer and The Book of Eli, has also publicly demonstrated his faith.
“The things that are going on for me professionally behind the camera are as important to me now as in front of the camera,” Washington said at the American Black Film Festival, as reported by Movieguide. “I think there’s less and less time I’ll be spending in front of the camera.”
Furthermore, as Washington, 69, pursues more directorial roles in the film industry, he has also noted his intention to bring his Christian faith to the forefront of his work. He illustrated how, when directing the film A Journal for Jordan, he would begin every day of filming with a prayer.
“[We] always started the day with prayer,” Washington explained. “There’s all kinds of little miracles that you run into that you didn’t anticipate.” According to the actor and director, the practice fundamentally transformed the movie.
Washington further emphasized the importance of his Christian faith, which has kept him grounded amid his stardom in Hollywood. “One of the most important lessons in life that you should know is to remember to have an attitude of gratitude, of humility, to understand where the gift comes from,” he told Desus & Mero during a 2022 interview. The actor added that all things are accomplished through God and his will, not our own ambitions. “It’s not mine,” he said, referencing his successful career. “It’s been given to me by the grace of God.”
Earlier this year, The Christian Tribune reported on other comments from Washington, where he detailed his journey to accepting Jesus Christ as his savior which he described as going through “hell to hallelujah.”
During an interview with Movieguide, Denzel was asked about a recent project titled “Fences” and how it paralleled his Christian faith. “Do you think the faith of Violet’s character kind of is what holds the family together?” Washington responded, “Absolutely. We did. That’s why I used to take when she says some of them will God’s the one and he goes, like, he doesn’t want to hear it. Here’s a man they want to hear about God. He thinks he can handle the devil and control death. He had lessons he needed to learn.”
“Well, it’s a spiritual journey that even Troy takes. He just doesn’t know it. I call it from hell to hallelujah. Because early on he just ‘oh hell this and hell that,’ but one of the last things he says is ‘Hallelujah!’ he added.
Throughout his career Washington has emphasized that, first and foremost, he seeks to honor God with his work. Setting aside flashy materialism, he noted how serving the creator of the universe is far more important. “You know, I’m in the service business now. I’m fine. I’ve done well. I don’t need anything else. I don’t need watches and jewelry and all that. So I’m here to serve. I’m here to serve God, I’m here to serve my family, I’m here to serve,” he said.
Featured image credit: GabboT, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Denzel_Washington_(29479254650)_(cropped).jpg