Denzel Washington is recalling his response to shedding the very best actor Oscar to Kevin Spacey in 2000.
The Gladiator II actor, who had already received one Oscar and scored three different nominations earlier than that yr’s ceremony, obtained one other nomination for his position as Rubin Carter in 1999’s The Hurricane. He was up towards Spacey for American Magnificence, Russell Crowe for The Insider, Richard Farnsworth for The Straight Story and Sean Penn for Candy and Lowdown, nevertheless, the Academy Award finally went to Spacey (Washington received the Golden Globe for finest actor in a movement image drama that yr).
“On the Oscars, they referred to as Kevin Spacey’s title for American Magnificence,” he recalled to Esquire journal. “I’ve a reminiscence of turning round and him, and no one was standing however the individuals round him. And everybody else was me. Not that it was this fashion. Possibly that’s the way in which I perceived it. Possibly I felt like everyone was me. As a result of why would everyone be me? Occupied with it now, I don’t assume they have been.”
Washington continued of his response, “I’m positive I went house and drank that evening. I needed to. I don’t wish to sound like, ‘Oh, he received my Oscar,’ or something like that. It wasn’t like that. And you realize, there was discuss within the city about what was happening over there on that facet of the road, and that’s between him and God. I ain’t obtained nothing to do with that. I pray for him. That’s between him and his maker.”
The actor beforehand received the Oscar for finest supporting actor for 1990’s Glory, nevertheless, The Hurricane was Washington’s second time scoring a finest actor nom as he beforehand was nominated for 1993’s Malcolm X however misplaced to Al Pacino for Scent of a Lady that yr.
“I went by means of a time then when [my wife] Pauletta [Washington] would watch all of the Oscar films — I advised her, I don’t care about that. Hey: ‘They don’t care about me? I don’t care,’” he advised the journal. “You vote. You watch them. I ain’t watching that. I gave up. I obtained bitter. My pity celebration. So I’ll inform you, for about fifteen years, from 1999 to 2014 once I put the beverage down, I used to be bitter.”
Two years later, Washington lastly received the Academy Award for finest actor for his position as Alonzo in 2001’s Coaching Day. And he had since earned 4 further finest main actor Oscar nominations.