Denzel Washington has been one of the biggest movie stars in the modern era.
Anything he stars in is always a massive hit at the box office.
But famed actor Denzel Washington left his legion of fans heartbroken after he made this one huge announcement.
Denzel Washington announces the end of his long and storied career
Prolific actor Denzel Washington just made an announcement that has his many fans singing the blues.
In a recent interview with Australia Today, Washington made the announcement that he will be retiring from Hollywood once he completes the last stretch of films he is already signed to do.
The 69-year-old acting legend told Australia Today, “I don’t know how many more films I’m going to make.”
“Probably not that many,” hinted Washington.
Denzel told the reporter that he has a handful of films that he is already slated to star in, but that he likely will not sign onto anything else once these films are completed.
“I want to do things I haven’t done. I’ve played Othello at 22, I’m about to play Othello at 70,” reminisced Washington. “After that I’m playing Hannibal. After that, I’ve been talking with Steve McQueen about a film. After that Ryan Coogler’s writing a part for me in the next ‘Black Panther.’”
“After that I’m going to do the film ‘Othello.’ After that I’m going to do ‘King Lear,’ he listed. “After that I’m going to retire.”
Denzel Washington made his screen debut in 1977 in the movie Wilma, which was followed by the 1981 movie Carbon Copy.
Washington also plans to make his first big appearance on screen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) where the movie Black Panther became one of the biggest films for the franchise.
The movie, which was released in 2018, starred Chadwick Boseman, Lupita Nyong’o, and Michael B. Jordan, and hauled in a mind-boggling $1.3 billion at the box office.
The film became somewhat of a memorial for Boseman, who passed away in 2020 at the age of 43 due to colon cancer.
The sequel film that hit the screens in 2022 was a tribute to the actor, which continued the story.
Now, the third Black Panther follow up will be one of Denzel Washington’s final performances.
Currently, Washington is promoting his highly anticipated film Gladiator II, which is the sequel to Ridley Scott’s highly regarded 2000 action movie.
In the film, Washington will play as a former slave and mentor to the character Lucius, who is played by Paul Mescal.
Washington predicts an August 2025 retirement
Denzel Washington hinted that his retirement from Hollywood could come as soon as August of next year.
In another interview with Empire Magazine, Washington explained, “There are very few films left for me that I’m interested in.”
“I have to be inspired by the filmmaker,” he added. “I was tremendously inspired by Ridley.”
The two first came together to produce American Gangster, which was released in 2007.
“We had a great go-round the first go-round [on ‘American Gangster’], and here we are,” Washington reflected. “He’s engaged. He’s excited about life and his next film. He’s an inspiration.”
“We should all want to feel like that at 86,” he added.
The 28-year-old actor Paul Mescal, discussing his big break appearance alongside Washington in the film Gladiator, shared his memory of getting to meet the Oscar-winning superstar on set for the first time.
“It was a big day in my life – it was amazing,” shared Mescal. “I spent the first day thinking, ‘I must go introduce myself to him,’ and I stood there for several minutes before I [decided], ‘Not today.’”
“The next day I decided to be a brave boy,” he added.
Fans are heartbroken to hear about the soon-to-come departure of the superstar Denzel Washington from Hollywood.
And movie-goers are likely to plan their weekend movie binging schedule with Washington’s films over the next year.
Stay tuned to Political Animal News for more on this developing story.