Denzel Washington says he was smiling when he learned about his Gladiator 2 Oscar snub as he's been around too long to care

Denzel Washington as Macrinus in Gladiator 2 — (Image credit: Paramount)

Denzel Washington was a standout in Gladiator 2 as the power-hungry Macrinus, but despite some early awards buzz, the actor has not been nominated for the Oscars 2025. Not that he cares much about that, though.

"I was sitting there smiling, going: Look at you. On the day you didn't get a nomination for an Oscar, you're working on Othello on Broadway. Are you kidding me?", he said in a recent interview with The New York Times. The actor is playing the lead in a new production of Othello that goes into previews on February 24, with Jake Gyllenhaal co-starring as Iago.

"'Awww. Oh, I'm so upset'. Listen, I've been around too long. I'm getting wiser, working on talking less and learning to understand more — and that's exciting," he added.

During the press tour for the movie, Washington revealed he has a list of projects he will be working on in the next few years before he retires from acting. The list includes roles in Ryan Coogler's Black Panther 3, Spike Lee’s High N Low, Antoine Fuqua’s Hannibal, a Steve McQueen movie, and an Othello adaptation.

Mireia is a UK-based culture journalist and critic. She previously worked as Deputy Movies Editor at Digital Spy, and her work as a freelance writer has appeared in WeLoveCinema and Spanish magazines Fotogramas, Esquire, and Elle. She is also a published author, having written a book about Studio Ghibli's 'Kiki's Delivery Service' in 2023. Talking about anime and musicals is the best way to grab her attention.