After 50 Years Of Denzel Washington GOLD, Is He Really Retiring?

It might not sound real, but Denzel Washington has been collecting acting credits and building his multi-generational fanbase for almost 50 years. If you know, you know! And just like that, time has flown. Denzel Washington will turn 70 in late December, and whether he’ll be retiring soon has been a trending topic.

INSANE RUN OF FACE CARDS!!! https://t.co/iEM09Pig8y pic.twitter.com/RbswT6Hvy7

— social girl chellz. (@b0mbchell_) July 10, 2024

This holiday season, let’s really get into this man’s legacy and see how much longer he plans to bless us with his talents.

RELATED: Forty Years In, Denzel Washington Remains Thankful For His Wife Pauletta

Is Denzel Washington Really Retiring?

Despite all the screen gold he’s already given us, the Hollywood icon shook his supporters in early November with retirement talks. In an interview, he implied that he had an exit plan in motion: A few more roles, then peace out! The sentence that had fans riled up was, “After that, I’m gonna retire.” But what he really said was that he wants to be selective and adventurous with role pickings.

“For me, it’s about the filmmaker, especially at this point in my career. I’m only interested in working with the best. I don’t know how many more films I’m going to make. Probably not that many. I want to do things I’ve never done,” Washington told ‘Today’ Australia.

He spoke about his upcoming role ‘Othello’ from Shakespeare on Broadway. He first played the role at 22 and is now doing it again at 70. Washington gave a rundown of his follow-up roles: Hannibal, King Lear, and a role in the third ‘Black Panther,’ which has not been confirmed publicly yet. Though he specified that Ryan Coogler is writing a role just for him! His latest project ‘Gladiator II’ premiered in theaters last week.

Denzel Washington Owns #GladiatorII pic.twitter.com/72J9jauR5g

— Cinema Tweets (@CinemaTweets1) November 24, 2024

Denzel later clarified to Yahoo UK that retirement isn’t happening any time soon. Washington still sees himself on the BIG screen and behind it for the next decade, at least.

“I’ve been blessed to have the August Wilson plays put in my hands [to adapt them into films]; I’ve got seven more to go so I’m not retiring from that,” Washington assures, making his plan for the future clearer by adding: “I am passionate about directing, I’m not retiring from that. If there’s a great director or a great role with a great director I would un-retire. But short of that, my passion is to get these plays done and to get the work that I have in front of me done,” Denzel Washington told the outlet.

Denzel On The Screen

When you mention Denzel Washington, aside from five decades of experience, his resume includes Nine Academy Award nominations. The first one was in 1987 for ‘Cry Freedom.’ His versatility has kept him relevant in roles through the years, from ‘Malcolm X’ to ‘Macbeth’ and ‘Fences.’ He won an Oscar for Best Actor for ‘Training Day’ for Alonzo Harris and Best Supporting Actor’ in ‘Glory’ for Private Silas Trip.

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He’s also won a Tony Award, three Golden Globes, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. As far as nominations go, he had a chance at EGOT status with two previous Emmy nominations and one Grammy nomination.

He starred on the big screen for the first time in 1981, and it’s been up ever since for the actor. Between the late 1980s and the early 2000s, he ate down with roles representing real-life figures in history, such as Steve Biko, Malcolm X, Herman Boone, Melvin B, Tolson, and Frank Lucas, per IMBD. In that time, he also showed out in movies like ‘Crimson Tide,’ ‘The Preacher’s Wife,’ and ‘Courage Under Fire.’

In the 2000s, he had films dropping back-to-back in 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2009. Denzel also put on his director cap for the first time in the 2000s with ‘Antwone Fisher’ in 2002, followed by ‘The Great Debaters’ in 2007 and ‘Fences’ in 2016.

The 2010s continued to see Denzel’s name in the rolling credits of movies. ‘Flight’ and ‘Safe House’ dropped in 2012. ‘2 Guns’ came the next year, then his iconic starring role in ‘The Equalizer’ in 2014.

Social Media Gives Actor His Flowers

Obviously, the list goes ON as we only touched on some of his film roles, not even his TV or stage credits. After talks of his suspected retirement went viral, social media started showering him with his deserved flowers!

Not gonna lie, I'm so happy Denzel Washington is getting his flowers. I'm tired of legends only being appreciated after they've gone. I hope he knows how much we love him 👊🏿

— Manny (@MannyDC02) November 12, 2024

Last week, Denzel showed off some of his personality off-screen when he linked up with Snoop Dogg at his movie premiere.

RELATED: Forty Years In, Denzel Washington Remains Thankful For His Wife Pauletta