Denzel Washington says he's "not that interested in Oscars," despite winning 2: "On my last day, it ain’t going to do me a bit of good"

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

Denzel Washington may have two Academy Awards and a number of nominations under his belt, but the actor doesn't put too much stock in the Oscars.

"I’ve been at this a long time, and there’s times when I’ve won, shouldn’t have won, didn’t win, should have won," Washington said during an interview with Jake's Takes. "Man gives the award, God gives the reward. I’m not that interested in Oscars."

"People say, 'Well, where do you keep it?' I say, 'Next to the other one,'" he continued. "I’m not bragging. I’m just telling you how I feel about it. On my last day, it ain’t going to do me a bit of good."

In 1990, he won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Glory, followed by a win for Best Actor for Training Day in 2002. He's also been nominated a further seven times (once more for Best Supporting Actor, the other six times for Best Actor) – including for Malcolm X in 1993, which is thought to be one of the biggest Oscar snubs of all time (Al Pacino won instead for his role in Scent of a Woman).

Next up for Washington is Highest 2 Lowest, directed by Spike Lee, which is a contemporary reimagining of Akira Kurosawa's 1963 procedural drama High and Low. The movie also stars Jeffrey Wright, ASAP Rocky, and Ice Spice.

Highest 2 Lowest is out now in theaters before arriving on Apple TV Plus on September 5. For more, fill out your watchlist with our picks of the best movies on Apple TV Plus streaming now.

Entertainment Writer

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism. 

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