“I take what talent I’ve been given seriously, and I want to use it for good.” – Denzel Washington
His father was an ordained Pentecostal minister, and, amid the accolades, Academy Awards and acting jobs, the idea of—if not a career change, a shift in focus—gnawed at him. In 1999, he said, “A part of me still says, ‘Maybe, Denzel, you’re supposed to preach. Maybe you’re still compromising.’”
Now, a quarter of a century later, he’s finally taken the plunge—literally.
On December 21, 2024, Denzel Washington submerged underwater at the Kelly Temple in New York City and received his minister’s license. With him was Paulette, his wife of 46 years. “Forty-six years later, here I’m still standing next to him as only God will have it,” the actress said as her husband, clad in T-shirt and sweat pants, sat on the steps of the pulpit, choking back tears.
“So, I’m very proud of you. You are the head of our house, and you have set a great example for our children, who are now adult children who know the difference because we have shown them the difference.”
“It took a while, but I’m finally here,” Washington said before being immersed in water.“If [God] can do this for me, there’s nothing He can’t do for you. The sky literally is the limit.”
Over a month earlier, the Training Day actor had commented on the absence of overt faith and religion in Hollywood. “It’s not talked about in this town,” he said. “It’s not sexy. I don’t know how many other actors have faith. I didn’t do no poll. How would I find that out? I mean, there’s no Church Actor Meetings I’ve been to.”
There are indeed mainstream Hollywood A-listers who are outspoken about their faith. These include Reacher’s Alan Ritchson, Guardians of the Galaxy’s Chris Pratt, Kirk Cameron, Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire, Viola Davis, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Reese Witherspoon and devout Catholics Mark Wahlberg and Stephen Colbert. Jewish stars who are proud and outspoken about their heritage include Sarah Silverman, Pink, Seth Rogan, Mila Kunis, Barbra Streisand, Jack Black, Adam Sandler, Natalie Portman and Jerry Seinfeld.
Denzel Washington, through his ordination, is not the first star to be outspoken about his faith, but he has certainly flung the faith door wide open for others of his industry.
Possibly, the Church Actor Meeting he spoke of could not be far behind.
Photo credits: Denzel Washington under pressekonferansen til fredspriskonserten 2010 by Aktiv I Oslo.no via Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
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