Denzel Washington Reflects on Legacy in Candid Talk With Spike Lee
Denzel Washington wants to be remembered as a man of faith.
During a conversation with Spike Lee produced by Apple, the two veterans dug into the idea of legacy. Lee posed the question, “What do you want to be remembered for?”
Washington stripped away the Hollywood shine and answered without hesitation.
“A man of faith, a man of God, a human who’s made a ton of mistakes,” he admitted.
“A humble man, God-loving, wife-loving, children-loving, who did the best he could with what he had.”
He even leaned on the words of Malcolm X to drive it home.
“To God be the glory, only the mistakes were mine.”
That same spirit has carried into his recent work and the way he frames his life today. Speaking with BET.com while promoting his latest film “Highest 2 Lowest,” Washington leaned into that faith-forward lens, especially in roles that call on it.
At one point in the movie, his character declares, “You don’t tell God no, you take it and make it work,” a line that could easily sit in his own philosophy. And when asked if he’s ever spiritually wrestled with a role and nearly turned it down, he was just as candid.
“Increasingly now because I’m in a position where I don’t have to, but more importantly, I don’t want to,” he said. It’s the sound of an artist fully aware of both his boundaries and his blessings.
That same faith has been the throughline in how Washington reflects on his journey.
When he and “Highest 2 Lowest” co-star Jeffrey Wright sat down with Extra, the conversation turned inward.
Asked what advice he would give to his younger self, the “Gladiator II” actor didn’t hesitate: “Pray more. That’s it. Pray more,” he said with a smile. “That’s what I would tell that younger Denzel Washington. Pray more. Get on your knees more.”
