John David Washington, one of our favorite up-and-coming actors in new Hollywood, gave fans insight into his thought process and a little bit of himself in a new interview with the legendary Rolling Stone. Known for working hard to separate his acting career from that of his famous father, Washington is very candid about what inspires him and how he feels about his journey in the arts. Here’s a tidbit of what we learned from the interview.
His role on football drama Ballers wasn’t too far from real life for the former football player. Washington was a running back and strong safety in high school in Van Nuys, California, a skip and hop from popular Los Angeles landmarks, such as Universal Studios, Hollywood Blvd., and the infamous 101 Highway. His parents, actor Denzel Washington and actress Pauletta Washington, would attend his games regularly. From high school, the Malcolm & Marie actor would go on to play football at Morehouse College, before landing on the practice squad of the St. Louis Rams and later as a part of the UFL.
Washington viewed his football injuries as badges of honor and rebellion towards privilege. Being the son of two famous people was anything but easy for Washington. He was always self-conscious about people — even his own inner circle of friends — perceiving him to be a child of privilege that didn’t have to work hard for anything. So, when he had the opportunity to shed the overcoat of privilege from the legacy he was building, he did just that.
On the football field, Washington would revel in the grit and grind of getting dirty and, oftentimes, dangerously hurt. Washington has suffered multiple injuries that included everything from broken ribs to concussions. In regards to his injuries, he has been quoted saying, “I’m proving more to people — to myself — that this isn’t a handout, this is for real.” What a way to prove oneself!
Despite being a total snack — ahem, package — Washington hints that, to this day, he may be single. The topic came about when he started discussing love scenes in film. Like many of us would be, Washington is not a fan of doing them. The fact that there’s so many people on the set when the actors have to engage in intimate moments, such as kissing, gets under Washington’s skin. Yet, the Tenet actor’s feelings about love scenes translates to his personal love life in which he admits that trust is a big challenge for him.
Many celebrities have these issues — you just don’t know if the person likes or loves you for you or for what you do, or even more devastating, to get close to the pot of gold at the end of that Hollywood rainbow. As a result, Washington’s “relationships have faltered.”
He, too, thinks that there’s diversity within diversity, and Black people can’t be defined as just one identity. Referencing future legends, such as Donald Glover and LaKeith Stanfield, and film pioneer Spike Lee, Washington understands that being Black in America comes with many different attributes that can’t be marginalized or confined to the stereotypical ideologies of the clueless. In fact, he embraces the new era of Black people being multi-dimensional in film and television and is proud to continue that representation.
Although Washington has reiterated several times that he does not want people to think that he’s winning because of his father’s success, it’s not necessarily a bad thing to be in the shadow of Denzel! I mean, he could be the son of an actor that never made an impact at all. Since most of us all know who he is related to, Washington should just own it.
There are some people that will always throw his family connections in his face, but for the rest of us who have been desperately looking for the “next” Sydney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Will Smith, or a leading man to sweep us off our feet, a former football player seems very fit to do the job.
