We are SHOOK! Denzel Washington Reveals We’ve Been Saying His Name All Wrong
by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

February 24, 2022

We are SHOOK! Denzel Washington Reveals We’ve Been Saying His Name All Wrong

The accomplished Academy Award-winning powerhouse actor that we’ve come to know as DEN-ZEL Washington just turned the internet on his head when a re-surfaced video interview went viral correcting the pronunciation of his name.

Washington appeared on the Graham Norton show back in 2013, but the video is just now making the rounds and causing an uproar on social media, appearing on several high-profile social media pages with many reacting with shock and amazement to the Training Day actor’s explanation.

Washington says that while we pronounce his name like it’s spelled as DenZEL, it’s actually Denzil.

Here’s his explanation:

And here is what popular comedian Kev on Stage had to say.

 

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A post shared by kevonstage (@kevonstage)

Many online were equally shocked by Washington’s take on his name.

No matter what his name is, Washington respectfully is one of the greatest actors of all time, and gained his first Academy Award nomination for his supporting role in Cry Freedom in 1987 and then won his first Oscar after being nominated for his supporting role in Glory in 1989.

The multi-faceted entertainer received his first nomination for a starring role when he played the iconic civil rights leader in the Spike Lee-directed Malcolm X in 1992.

After getting an additional nomination for his leading role as the wrongly accused and jailed Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter in The Hurricane in 1999, he finally won his first Academy Award as a leading actor for Training Day in 2001, directed by frequent collaborator Antoine Fuqua. His leading roles in Flight (2012), Fences (2016) and Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017) led to more Oscar nominations.

We’ll just call him the GOAT from now on!


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